The sun., 1919-05-24
Reply of the Allies.

The reply OF the allied and associated
Powers, approved by the council OF their
principal members on May 20. also was
made public. 1t reads as follows:
The allied and associated Powers
have received and have given careful at
tention to the report of the commission
appointed by the German Government
to examine the economic conditions OF
the treaty OF peace
This report appears to them to con-
tain very inadequate presentation OF
the facts OF the case, to be marked In
parts by great exasgeration. and to
ignore the fundamental considerations
arising both out OF the Incidence and
the results OF the war. which explain ana
justify the terms that II Is sought to i'm
pose.
The German note opens with the
statement that the Industrial resources
OF Germany were adequate before the
war for the nourishment of a population
OF 100000. and II argues as though
this were the total for which, with d.
minished resources. she will still be called
upon to prtvide.
"This is not the case. The total pop
ulation OF Germany will be reduced by
about 5000, 600 persons in the non-Ger-
man territories which it is proposed to
aggregation that We are called upon 10
consider.
Complaint is made in the German
note that Germany is required 10 surren-
der her merchant tonnage. existing or in
course of construction, and that a prior
claim Is made upon her shipbuildins
capacity for limited term OF years. No
mention, however. IL made OF the fact
that "a considerable portion OF the smaller
I ton - - 10, fafs 20 -.
paired and II seems TO have entirely es-
| cAped the notice OF her spokesman tina,
| the sacrifice OF her larger shipping Is the
Inevitable and necessary penalty i'm
posed upon her for the ruthless cam
paign which in defiance OF all laws and
! precedent she wAged during the last two
I years OF the war upon the mercantile
shipping Of the world.
Less Than Third OF Destruction.
! AS a partial offset against the 49,
| 100000 tons OF shipping sunk II Is pro-
posed TO transfer 1000, 900 tons OF Ger
man shipping. In other words, the ship
ping which IL il proposed to take from
! Germany constitutes less than one-third
OF that which was thus wantonly de-
| stroyed. The universal shortage of mer-
chant shipping Is the result not OF the
| terms OF peace. but OF the action of Ger
many. and no surprise can reasonably
be felt II she is called upon TO bear a
share-and II is a very moderate share
OF a loss for which her own criminal
deeds have been responsible.
Great stress Is laid on the propose
that on the eastern side OF Germany shall
be deprived OF the regions specially de
voted TO the production of wheat anc
potatoes This Ia true. But the note
fails altogether to observe that there il
nothing in the peace treaty to prevent
either the continued production OF thos,
commodities In the areas In question OF
their importation into Germany. On thu
contrary. the free admission OF these
products OF the eastern districts is pro
yided for during a period OF three years
Moreover. II Ia fortunate for Ger
many that those regions have lost nont
OF their productivity owing to the raw
ages of war. They have escaped the
shocking fate which was dealt out By
the German armies to the corresponding
territories In Belgium and France on the
west and Poland Russia, RumAnia anc
Serbia on the east. There appears to bt
no reason why their produce should moi
continue to find a market on German
soil
"Stress is laid upon the proposed re
strictions OF the import OF phosphates
II is. however. forgotten that Germany
has never produced but has always i'm
ported the phosphates OF which she
stands in need. Nor is there anything
In the terms OF peace which will pre-
vent or hinder the importation OF phos
plates into Germany in the euture