REPARATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 May 1920, Page 5

REPARATION.

FIXED YEARLY PAYMENT. GERMAN EVASIONS. By Teleeraph.—Press Assn— Copyright. London, May it. M. Millerand is seeking Mr. Lioyd George's approval of a proposal that Germany shall pay the Allies a fixed annuity of £120,000,000 for 30 years. The Daily Chronicle's Berlin correspondent states that "What shall we say >ve can pay?" is the question agitating the German Government. It is understood that a special committee of Treasury experts has considered the matter in view of the Spa Conference. They propose that Germany shall pay an annual sum of £50,000,000 in gold. The modesty of the estimate can he gauged when it is remembered that Germany herself proposed to pay £5,000,000,000 sterling during the peace negotiations, bo it will take a hundred years to reach this modest sum-—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. Berlin, May 5. Messages from Graudenz state that Germany will not pay 100 billion mar«» ( £5,000,000,000) indemnity. The offer made when peace was signed has been withdrawn by the German Government. The figure will be So low that it will (lash France's optimistic hopes to the ground, so the officials of the Forergn Office and Finance Ministry declare.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

EASING THE BURDEN. GERMANY'S HOPES; FRANCE'S FEARS. Paris, May 5. M. Millerand will visit London next week to discuss the agenda for tlie meeting at Spa. oh the 25th. M, Millerand Rtrongly desires the Allies i> meet the Germans with fixed decisions, admitting only of discussion on their applicationThe two questions on which French opinion is mainly exercised are the amount of reparations and Germnay's hope of securing a revision of portions of the Peace Treaty. France opposes fixing the total amount of the reparations at present. because it helieves Germany is capable of rapid recovery financially and commercially. The amounts should be elastic, consisting of a stipulated annual minimum during .10 years, plus' an annual addition regulated by the progress of Germany's recovery. As regards the softening of fhe peace terms France apprehensively observes the widespread tendency of the German Press to believe I hat the Spa' meeting offers an opportunity to convince France'.--, allies that France is merely pursuing r policy of revenge, which is futile for France and bad for fhe Allies ns w.ell as Germany.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.