FOOTING THE BILL.

Taihape Daily Times, 25 March 1919, Page 5

FOOTING THE BILL.

It is .a. far cry from the days when Germans were greedily estimating- the colossal indemnities they were going to extort from the Allies to such whines as this In the “Frankfort Gazette”: — In Paris our enemies aye making up the political and financial balance-sheet of the world-war. The pen will be forced into our hand in orjlcr that we shall sign and accept the account. It may be that the bill will be more moderate than we think. But in any event it will be gigantically high. It will not only be enormous compared with the French indemnity of 1870 —71 (£200., 000,000), but cnormouseompared with what remains to Germany in the way of a national fortune. Let hope that far-sighted contemplation of the futu/e ■and the danger of plaanting the seeds of eternal revolution in Germany may inlduce our enemies, if they cannot be moved by humanity, to refrain from imposing demands which will kill Germany’s will toi pay by annihilating her capacity to do so.”