Snowden Impatient

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 743, 16 August 1929, Page 9

Snowden Impatient

DRAMATIC LETTER SENT “Cannot Wait Much Longer” BRITISH REPARATION PROPOSALS ( United P.A. — By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and. N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) Received 9.15 a.m. THE HAGUE, Thursday. MR. PHILIP SNOWDEN, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, has sent a dramatic letter to the creditor Powers stating that he expects his points to be discussed without delay. He says he cannot wait much longer.

That Mr. Snowden took action in order to remove any misapprehension that he is wavering in his demands, is the impression gained from his letter to the other creditor Powers, who last night agreed that their interests and the Young Plan were the same, and that solidarity prevailed among them. Mr. Snowden’s letter created a sensation, and is expected to induce the French, Italian, Belgian and Japanese delegations to speed up their efforts to find a compromise which can be offered to Britain.

A Belgian delegate today saw Mr. Snowden and made an offer which the latter declared to be unsatisfactory. It is understood that Mr. Snowden adheres to his determination to leave on Saturday if no progress is made toward satisfying Britain. British circles are still hopeful of a last-minute settlement.

A British Oflicia.l Wireless message says a statement is published that Mr. Snowden has written a letter to the statesmen at The Hague, asking that his proposal for revision of the reparations plan shall be dealt with without delay, and stating that he cannot wait much longer for a decision.

The British delegation at The Hague states, however, that the letter in question consisted merely of a personal note, which Mr. Snowden passed to M. Henri Jaspar, the Belgian Prime Minister, during Wednesday’s session of the Financial Commission, in which he used the same terms which he later expressed before the Commission —namely, that he hoped the private negotiations now in progress would permit of early action on his resolutions for the creation of a sub-committee to revise the percentage and annuity clauses of the Young Plan. Another message says it was stated last night that the negotiations between the financial experts with a view to discovering means to satisfy Britain’s claims were making slow' but not unsatisfactory progress. It is expected that on Saturday one or more sub-committees will be established for the purpose of discussing the questions already raised before the committee, among them Mr. Snowden’s three points. It is generally believed that the leading delegates will go home after the meeting on Saturday, while the ■work of the sub-com-mittees continues.