THE REPLY.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 March 1921, Page 5

THE REPLY.

ULTIMATUM TO GERMANY. 4CCEPTANCB WANTED BY MONDAY. MILITARY ACTIQN OTHERWISE. ADVANCE OF THE ARMY, By Telegraph.—Press Assn—Copyright. London, March 3. Crowds lined the front of St. James’ Palace and cheered the arrival of the Allied delegates. After Marshal Foch had delivered a lengthy speech Mr. Lloytk'George outlined the Allies’ views and said that, having regard to the infractions of the Treaty of Versailles and the indications that Germany meant still further to defy and explain away the Treaty, the Allies must act on the assumption that the German Government was not merely defaulting, but deliberately defaulting. Unless the Allies heard by noon on Monday that Germany was either prepared to accept the Paris decisions or to submit proposals which in other ways would be equally satisfactory, the Allies had agreed to take the following measures:— 1. The occupation of Duisburg, Ruhrort, and Duaseidorf. 2. The Allies would obtain powers from their respective Parliaments requiring their nationals to pay a certain proportion on goods purchased in Allied countries to the several Governments, which would be retained bn the reparation account. 3. The amount of duties collected by German custom houses on the external frontiers in the occupied territories would be paid to the Reparations Commission. These would continue to be levied in accordance with the German tariff. Also that a line of customs houses be temporarily established on the lyjine and at the boundaries of the tetes-de-pont occupied by the Allied troops. The tariff levied in occupied territories would be fixed by the Allied Rhine Commission, and would apply to goods both on entry and export. Mr. Lloyd George said Herr Von Simons might prefer to examine his statement before replying. Herr Von Simons said he would like to answer now. He added: “The German delegation is going to examine the speech and documents which Mr. Lloyd George said he would transmit to us with the care due to their importance, and give an answer before noon on Monday ” He thought Mr. Lloyd George misunderstood the German attitude, but he believed there would be no occasion for imposing the sanctions. Mr. Lloyd George, addressing the Germans, said that Germany was a defaulter. notably in respect to the trial of war criminals, disarmament, and payment in cash or kind of 20 milliards of gold marks. The Allies had displayed no harsh insistence upon the letter of their bond; they extended the time and even modified the character of the demands, but each time the German Government failed them. Military organisations, some of them clandestine, had been allowed to spring up all over Germany, equipped with arms which ought to have been surrendered. The Allies were reluctantly convinced that the German Government does not intend to carry out its obligations or has not strength enough to insist upon the necessary sacrifices being made. Mr Lloyd George said that any modification permitted by the immediate acceptance of the proposals would be abandoned if force was necessary. Germany must accept responsibility for the war and interpret her obligations lyHerr von Simons intimated that Mr. Lloyd George’s statement on Tuesday was not fully appreciated owing to the language difficulty. An adjournment was granted till Mon day to enable the Germans to comtunicate with Berlin.

GERMAN DELEGATES’ VIEW. EXPECTED TO BE SENT HOME. fiAD RESERVED THEIR SEATS Received March 4, 7.25 p.m. London, March 3. The German delegates say they went to St. Palace expecting to be asked to leave London to-night, as they thought the Allies would give no further time for consideration. Indeed, the Germans reserved seats in to-night’s boat train. A German delegate expressed the opinion that the greater part of Mr. Lloyd George’* speech was propaganda for the benefit of France. The delegation will cut all that out and get down to bare facts, which they are now dis-cussing.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. GERMAN CORRESPONDENTS. SAY POSITION IS SERIOUS. Berlin, March 2. German special correspondents in London are emphasising the seriousness of the situation, while expressing the opinion that negotiations have not broken down. They believe that Mr. Lloyd George spoke with intentional sharpness as a set-off against Herr Von Simons’ rejection of the Paris decisions. The German papers are following the line of the correspondents, and believe that the Allies realise they are dwelling in a region of illusions, and that a second and even a third, conference will be necessary to bring them back to realities. Ail declare that Herr von Simons’ offer represents the limits of Germany’s GERMAN ARREARS. Park, March 4. The Reparations Commission has noticed Germany that, contrary to the Berlin ■*almlations. the balance Germany .will owe before April 30 will exceed 12 milliard sold marks ( £600.000.000).