Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-02-03
URGES ALLIES UNITE
IN NLEMNITY CLAIMS
Italian Delegate Would Pool
Money and Divide it on
Basis of "E fort"
By Associated Press TO Every Evening

by Associated Press TO Every Evening
Paris, Sunday, Feb. "A universal
tax. the proceeds of which would be put
into common fund along with the
indemnities Germany should be made to
pay. is proposed by Senior Crespi of the
Italian delegation to the peace con-
ference, in the proposition he has made
for the establishment of n ''single financial
front" for the Allies The tax would
debts of the allies which Germany had
not paid and provide a sinking fund for
ultimately canceling the debts.
Senor Crespi, who said his proposal
for single allied financial front had been
well received by allied ministers. de-
clared that his great point was that the
central empires as q whole must be forced
to compensate the allies for the war
damages they have suffered. Response
bilitv was collective, he said, and all
the enemy states would have to pay IN
proportion To their wealth.
con the other hand. all the Allies have
suffered immense losses and they must
all benefit from the indemnitics which
the enemy is to pay, Each one should
receive in proportion to the effort II has
made Thus, smaller states that have
spent more than larger ones in com
parison to their wealth ought to receive
larger ndemnities in proportion Absolute
fairness ought to be preserved in the
division Of indcmnities.
The simplest way to carry out the
actual distribution would be TO put the
entire fund into a common pool which
could be periodically apportioned among
the different nations. The fund should
be augmented by taxes of universal
character levied on all states enemy,
allied or neutral. the last named having
been filed from the sacrifices made by the
allies. Such taxes might be levied on
exports and imports, and also on coal
and raw materials. 1t seems to me only
fair that countries which have been bcnc-
fted and even grown rich, through the
sutirrings and sacrifice of the allies,
should be made to help compensate the
allies Such tax would not weigh more
heavily on ono state than on another.
merely have the effect of raising prices
on some certain particular products in
all countries alike.
The enemy should be forced To pay
of MS soon as possil le the allies del IS.
The International tax would furnish in
terc~t on the rest and sinking fund for
paving il of eventually. In my opirion
the enemy ought to be allowed to pay.
not orlv in gold but in raw materials
ard finished products Part of their
debt might be covered by bonds, which
they would take up gradually IN cx-
charge for goods delivered To the allies
The supply Of raw materials is an
other important question to be considered.
If they are furnished TO enemy countries
at the same prices rs TO the Allies. tho
Austrians ard Germans, whose lndustri:
plants have not been destroyed and who
arc ready 10 return to a peace basis IN
their production more rapidly than the
a lies, would reach foreign markets
quicker and under better conditions thar
would be pcssii lie for the allies. This
we must avoid at all costs. |, therefore,
pr pose that distribution Of raw materials
i,e internationally controlled In such a
way that allied countries may be served
before enemy countries.
Another important question involved
is that Of the length Of the working day
4 days labor in Germany before the war
was very iorg. If il continues so now
they will be allie 10 produce more cheapl,
than we can Therefore international
laws on this question have become es-
sential
Another problem is that Of exchange
between different nations. To cite ar
example, my own country, when peace
is re-estai lished, will have to impcr;
very LARGELY to replenish depleted stocks.
This viii have q disastrous effect on our
money unless the states control exchange.
I. therefore, consider that the present
state control Of import ard export trade
must continue for some time"