REPARATIONS’

Taranaki Daily News, 16 March 1921, Page 5

REPARATIONS’

BILL TO ENFORCE PAYMENT. GERMANS’ DISREGARD OF TREATY. A DANGER OF THE FUTURE. By Telegraph.—Press Assn—Copyright. Received March 15, 5.5 p.m London, March 14. In the House of Commons the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Austen Chamberlain) moved the German Reparation Recovery Bill. Mr. Chamberlain said the attitude of the Germans appeared to be that as soon as they were strong enough they would regard the Versailles Treaty as a scrap of paper and tear it up. So long as that was the Germans’ attitude it would be impossible for the Allies to come to an agreement with Aem. It would be folly to pretend that the proposed penalties could be imposed withl out some disturbance of the Allies’ trade. The House must face the facts: either they wanted reparation and must exact it, or they did not care for reparation at all. Mr. Horatio Bottomley (Independent) moved the rejection of the Bill on the grounds that it did not go far enough. It was unsound, politically mischievous, and commercially impracticable. Mr. Asquith (Liberal Leader) reechoed Mr. Chamberlain’s statement. He said there was absolutely no difference of opinion in the House of Commons or outside regarding the justice of the claim made against Germany. The question was purely one of practicability and expediency, but we must be careful not to extract payment in a form injurious to ourselves. The German exporter might be able to wriggle out of the imposition of the tax by raising the price of his goods. The question of origin also presented difficulty. He had the greatest misgiving whether so complicated machinery would be found worth while. Captain* W. Wedgwood Benn (Liberal) considered that instead of awamping Britain with cheap German goods the Allies should seize German ground rents and royalties on coal mines and the Kiel Canal.

Mr. Lloyd George ridiculed the pro* posals made by Mr. Bottomley and Capt. Wedgwood Benn—proposals which would involve the maintenance of an army of occupation throughout Germany. Even if we remained in Berlin till Germany accepted we would come back to a paper agreement, which was perfectly futile. Did Mr. Bottomlev imagine we could march into Germany and bring back mines and forests on lorries. (Laughter). If Germany declined to honor our Treasury receipt the Bill would have the effect of automatically excluding goods which the Allies did not really need. The great industrial con'cerns in Germany were making huge profits out of the difference between the price at which they could sell in the market. The Bill was read a second time without a division.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. COLLECTING CUSTOMS. AMERICA’S HELP SOVGHT. Received March 15, 8.45 p.m. Washington, March 14. The War Department states that the commander of the American Rhine forces has forwarded a request from the inter-Allied Rhineland Commission for the co-operation of the American forces in the customs collections along the Rhine. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. PLANS FOR LOCK-OUT. Paris, March 14. The Dusseldorf correspondent of the Petit Parisien reports that Stinnes and Ji number of manufacturers are orjjanisng a lock-out in the occupied towns with the view of stopping production.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. PLEBISCITE IN UPPER SILESIA. Berlin, March 14. Hindenburg has issued a proclamation in Upper Silesia' stating: “You are on the threshold of a decision on which depends the fate of your native lands. I am convinced you will listen to the voice which speaks in your hearts reminding you of the fidelity and gratitude you owe in deciding the country to which you will belong.** The Reichstag accepted the Bill providing for the disarming of self-defence organisations, despite Bavaria’s protests fend threats to withdraw from the coaliJjoii. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.