WHAT SHALL WE MAKE GERMANY PAY?

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 58, 5 October 1916, Page 3

WHAT SHALL WE MAKE GERMANY PAY?

A CALCULATION IN MILLIONS.

How much indemnity should he ex acted from the Central Powers, and what form should it take, il the Allies arc in a position to impose an indemnity P Mr Edgar Crammond, in the “Nineteenth Century,” thinks Germany, with Austria, should he made to pay ou the scale of the indemnity imposed hy Germany on France in 1870. France, besides losing Alsace-Lorraine, the money value of which may he set down at £Ol,COO,OOO, had to pay £200,000,000, spread over three years, during which a German army was to occupy a considerable portion of French territory. Yet the war was a short ono, the Gci man losses in men were comparatively light, and German territory did not suffer at all. Air Crammond calls attention to the deliberate destruction. wrought by the German and Autsrian armies in Belgium, France and Poland, apart from the inevitable destruction of military operations. He calculates the capitalised national income of the Cental Powers a s £20,600,001,000— Germany £15,000,000.000. and’ AustriaHungary £5,600,000,000. The direct cost of the war to the Allied Powers to March 31 next may bo estimated at £8,600,000.000. Ho is convinced that in one way or another £2,000,000,000 to £3,000,000,000 could he exacted from them either immediately dr by way of annual tribute. The •war claims should be pooled and presented as one claim by the Allies. J’irst, the German mercantile fleet should bp applied to making good the shipping losses inflicted on the Allies. Germany should he required to return in kind tho rolling stock, agricultural stock* machinery, >aw material and manufactured 1 -'goods, works of art, etc., of which she has deliberately robbed the Allies. Her manufactured goods stored up for export when' is declared should bo taken as part payment of the indemnity. There might remain a balance of perhaps £8,000,000,000. Debt certificates to this amount should be given and distributed proportionately among Abe Allies. They should be paid by an annual tribute on the German -and ATisfei-iaii State railways. |i. war debt import dqty on all German and Austrian manufactures, a, similar export 'duty on all exports of raw material to the Germanic Empires, and tho maritime Powers should impose ' supplementary * war debt dues ,on all German fail'd Austrian shipping entering 'then'' ports in all parts of the world. >■