The Daily News. THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1921. FRENCH REPARATIONS POLICY.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 January 1921, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1921. FRENCH REPARATIONS POLICY.

The life of any Cabinet in France is always very uncertain, consequently changes are frequent and re-shuffling of portfolios by no means rare. The question of the day is usually made the occasion of a vote of confidence or no-con-fidence. It may be that a Ministry which receives a vote of confidence on its policy over some burning question, may a few days later meet with an adverse vote, but still there is no break in the continuity of Government, merely a change of personnel. There does not appeal’ to be any serious inconvenience caused by this uncertain tenure of office, and the system ensures complete control by the Chamber of the Government ’s policy on all matters of moment; thus carrying out the cardinal principle of democracy—actual government by the representatives of the people. In the case of a Republic this safeguard is necessary in order to prevent a dictatorship by the President, and the recent downfall of M. Leygues emphatically illustrates this point, for it was brought about by way of “protest against the Premier being the mere mouthpiece of the President, and having no policy of his own.” The question of reparations to be made good by Germany is one upon which, the French Chamber holds very strong views, the majority of the Deputies being very dissatisfied with the delay which has taken place in compelling Germany to carry out her obligations on this matter. There is some force in the assertion that the late Premier (M. Leygues) was a weak man between two strong men—the President (M. Millerand) and M. Briand (the new Premier), but there is no question that on the reparations question the President has very decided views. Speaking at the Pantheon on the occasion of honoring an “unknown Poilu. ” Mt. Mil-

lerand said: “New duties, the duty of restoration, the duty of gaining the reparations which were due, the duty of exacting the necessary guarantees, faced Frenchmen to-day. The past gave them confidence in the future.” There was evidently a feeling, however, that the Premier, on whom rested the main responsibility of arranging the reparation terms with the British Premier, was not sufficiently strong to withstand the latter’s tendency to let Germany down lightly; hence the adverse vote by the Chamber. Even now, the assumption of the Premiership by M. Briand does not satisfy a powerful section of the Chamber, the Conservatives being particularly anxious to have ex-Ptesident Poincare (who was Premier from January 7, 1912, until the following January, when he became President, and has been in polities since 1887). Those who realise what France has suffered at the hands of Germany, especially during the past halfcentury, can appreciate the intense desire that exists for obtaining the full demands made by France in connection with the reparations indemnity. It amounts to an obsession, hence the desire to have the strongest possible advocate of French claims at ttye head of tJ(g Government. Additional force is lent to this attitude by the latest pronouncement as to Italy’s policy on this question as contained in a recent Cable from Rome to the effect that the Italian Cabinet has decided that Italy will not support at the forthcoming Allied Conference ‘,‘any measures intended to compel Germany to carry out the Versailles Treaty in its entirety.” It would seem, therefore, that France is faced with a task that will require exceptional courage, tact, resourcefulness and determination at the forthcoming Conference, and it may be that for Britain the decisions arrived at will prove crucial. The position appears ti centre on whether France is to be isolated or supported; whether there is to be an open rupture, a continuance of amity and eo-oper-ation, or a compromise. One thing is certain—France cannot stand alone, and if Europe is to reap the fruits of the Allies ’ victory the interests of France must take precedence over those of Germany. That France will strenuously attempt to force the issue in hei’ favoi - appears to be as certain as that Germany has been deliberately doing all in her power to bring about a rupture between the Allies and pursuing a policy of evasion designed to that end. Without doubt M. Briand did splendid service in 1916 in connection with the economic agreements which served as the basis of the political understanding between France and Britain, but much water has passed under the bridge since then. The question is, will he be equally successful in emerging from the crisis that now looms ahead? It is to be hoped he will, otherwise German intrigues and machinations will once more score a success that will go far to offset her defeat on the field of battle. There is nothing unreasonable .in the attitude of France; she merely insists on justice, and her claim ought not to be side-stepped.