Snowden’s Open Fight

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 738, 10 August 1929, Page 11

Snowden’s Open Fight

YOUNG PLAN MAY GET “K. 0.” Secrecy Arouses Suspicion (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) Eecd. 9.10 a.m. THE HAGUE, Friday. IT is revealed that Mr. Philip Snowden, British Chancellor of the Exchequer, provided a further sensation at the reparation and war debt conference, declaring that just before the assembling of the Paris conference the French, Ital ian and British experts secretly conferred at London and undertook not to disturb the Spa percentage.

M. Henri Cheron, French Finance ; Minister, disclaimed all knowledge of this. An Italian delegate, Signor Pirelli, however, admitted that he attended 1 the gathering, but he contended that Mr. Snowden had misunderstood the agreement. This is the first the Germans have heard of the secret discussion, and their suspicions have been sharpened. Some declare that Mr. Snowden has confronted the conference with an ultimatum. Germany will not even discuss a penny increase in the Young plan figures to meet Mr. Snowden’s demands. Meanwhile, reliable quarters say Mr. Snowden is prepared to quit on Monday, unless he obtains satisfactory assurances that the British taxpayer will be protected. Friday was a day of international strain. Mr. Snowden’s speech is regarded as an ultimatum, as it expires at 10 o’clock on Saturday morning. The atmosphere will be electrical until a way out of the impasse is : found, or Mr. Snowden and his col- ; leagues will take the boat home. M. Briand stated that while the situation was grave, he could not believe the conference would break down. A certain uneasiness was also j caused among the delegates when i Mr. Snowden said that if Britain did not receive just satisfaction she had a moral right to reverse j the existing debt funding arrange- ] ments. The French journalists interpreted i this inaccurately as an intention to ; revise the debt, but Mr. Snowden’s words were perfectly clear, and re- 1 ferred to the debt agreement. i Mr. Snowden argued that if the < Young plan were really indivisible the i conference need not have met. He ( asked why committees were being formed, if not for the purpose of considering the plan and making change* in it. All the changes the British t delegation asked for could be made ] within the structure of the plan. j References had been made to French , grievances and sacrifices. It was t said that the amount of the annuities would be smaller than under the Dawes plan. Mr. Snowden said he j did not call it a sacrifice to give up ’ something that would never have been received. Even if it were, it was a sacrifice every creditor Power was called upon to bear proportionately. If sacrifices were talked about he would have something to say about the sacrifices made by the British Empire. ‘‘No single country made anything like the war sacrifices of , Britain, but we never complained. , I would not raise the question ex- ( cept in reply to people who talked about the sacrifices they would have to make if the Young plan j were adopted. ‘‘Let is be remembered that Britain i entered the war, not because her I material interests were involved, but ’ in support of treaty rights, for which slie willingly sacrificed her blood and her manhood. No country was left . at the end ot the war with such a war debt as Britain’s, which is now i £7,500,000,000, or more than double : that of any other nation that fought c in the war. BRITAIN GENEROUS

dKI lAI IN utlNtnVUa “The Allies at the end of the war owed Britain £2,000,000,000, which was advanced to keep their armies in the field. The settlements have been all most generous in character. “Take the case of France, whose debt to Britain was £600,000,000. It has been agreed for France to pay Britain upon a present value basis £227,000,000. The agreement with Italy was even more generous. “Britain owed the United States about £1,000,000,000 and by the settlement has to pay over a period of 60 years an aggregate sum of £ 2,200,000,000, or more than twice the amount she borrowed.” Mr. Snowden asked the delegates to contrast this with the settlement the Allies made with Britain, and added that the question of deliveries in kind was most important to Britain. The proposal in the Young plan affected her export trade disadvantageously. Steps have been unofficially taken to point out that Mr. Snowden’s real object is to get the Financial Commission promptly constituted to consider proposals he has prepared. These are quite within the fabric of the Young Plan. FURTHER DIFFERENCES Further differences of opinion were revealed during the debate in the Conference's political commission regarding verification and conciliation, which the French demand in regard to the Rhineland. Mr. Arthur Henderson, British Foreign Secretary, said Britain desired complete evacuation. He opposed the establishment of a control commission. M. Briand denied that France wanted a military mission outside the ; Treaty of Versailles. Herr Wiart, German Minister for Occupied Territories, said a strong

anti-Young Plan movement already existed in Germany. If the delegation accepted the new commission, the Government would fail. The Commission decided to submit the question to a committee of jurists M. Franqui, a Belgian delegate, interviewed Herr Hilferding (Germany) at midnight, and both called on Mr. Snowden, and strongly appealed to him for a modification of his attitude. It is understood that Mr. Snowden was more adamant than ever. He said the British Government would prefer to withdraw from the conference rather than not obtain satisfaction.