THE ALLIES' BILL

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1918, Page 5

THE ALLIES' BILL

TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND MILLION. GERMANS ABILITY TO PAY. Keceived Dee. 6, 12.40 a.m. London, Dec. 4. *, Cox has made exhaustive analysis of Germany's ability to pav ,^ lhed ,var costs - These total £|-o 000,000,000, including Britain's £/,300,000,000, France's .io.l){30,000,000 Lnited State;' £3,000,000,000, Russia's £4,300,000,000. The value of the territorial annexations, including the colonies, must first be deducted, and also the \alue of Alsace-Lorraine, etc. Prance "ouid also demand the Saar coal basin, lo»t in 1815. The Germans must hand over £150,000,000 in gold and merchant ships, and her investments abroad, valued at about £500,000,000. When all the assets are taken, Germany may owe the Allies £10,000,000,000, on which the interest will be annually. Some of this may be paid by royalty on the coalfields and the potash mines in Saxony. The rest would be an annual tribute, for which the taxpayers would be responsible. Thus the Germans v.iil be compelled to v.'otk and remain poor while the Allies are relieved of the burden ot war debt, and would enjoy a high Btandard of comfort with fewer hours of labor.

Mr. Cox conclude?: "And what better punishment could be <lpviacd us, \.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reutar. COST OF THE WAK. "GERSIAXY CAX PAY." .Speaking at a meeting in London recently, brlgaditr-Ueiioral Page Croft, iI.P., said Germany had caused the war and Germany must not only be punished for it but must be made to pay "the cost. Some people suggested that Germany would be bankrupt, and tlierelore could not be made to pay. He asked them to consider the value of the German coal, iron, and potash. Her own valuation of her coal wealth was €170,000,000,000; iron. Cl,<JOO()00,f)W: rind potash. £"20.000,100,000. In addition, she bad her raii'vav system and 'her shipping, which would presumably replace all the tonnage which had beer, sunk in contravention of The Hague Agreement. There were also the German colonies, which could never be returned to her tyrannical rule. Ye<>. the Germans must be made to pay the whole cost of the war. cren to the payment which we liad made to our soldiers, widows, and dependents.