Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1919-02-07
Germany Making Efforts to
Show Bankruptcy, Says
Chairman of Budget Com
mission in Chamber
Recommends Investigation to
Be Followed by Fixing Size
of Installments to Be Asked
of Defeated Nation

PARIS, Feb. 6.-(By the Associated
Press. Germany is making utmost
efforts to have the allies believe that
she is nearing bankruptcy, declared
Raoul Peret, chairman of the budget
commission OF the chamber of depu-
ties and former minister of justice. in
discussing today the financial prob
lens facing the peace conference
The first measures of the conference
along financial lines, he added, should
be to take measures to prevent Ger
many from declaring herself an in
solvent debtor or a bankrupt state
Then" Peret continued, we shOula
Immediately fix the amount Of our ac
count against Germany which she
must be made To pay 10 the full limit
of her financial ability without con-
sideration for her feelings 1t will
be time enough then to decide about
the method OF payment. She may pay
either in capital Immediately or in
yearly installments-
Must Have Guarantee.
Il do not believe that Germany at
the present time is in a position TO
pay a large amount in cash. We must
not demand from her too heavy pay
ment now, so as not to place her in
a position where she might argue that
We are strangling her and killing the
goose that is TO lay the golden eggs
Whether the instailments we shall
demand from Germany be 20, 80 or 40
billions Of francs yearly depends en-
tirely on our decision, after an in
vestigatiOn as TO what amount Ger
many will be able to pay These pay
ments would be guaranteed BY Gus
toms tariffs decided on at the con-
ference, reserYing for ourselves the
right 20 raise such tariffs should Ger
many fail to meet her obligations.
This would act as a means of CO.
ercion because l do not believe that
we should occupy Germany with a
military force until her debt is paid.
II is my opinion that once our armies
of occupation return from Germany
all measures should be taken to make
re-occupation unnecessary.
Fighting for NeUtraIs-
i believe in the creation OF a finan-
cfal society Of nations and that all ex-
penses incurred by each nation should
be put in a common and an intena-
tional tax levied upon all until such
debts are paid Neutrals should be
included in this financial society OF
nations, especially those neutrals who
profited by the war.
As a matter Of fact, we are fight
ing for the neutrals as well as for
ourselves. for had the German pan
Eermanist dream been realized il
would not have been long before Hol
land. Sweden. Norway, Denmark
Switzerland and other neutrals would
have felt the weight of Germany's
iron fist"
Discussing the question whether
Germany should be permitted TO i'm
port raw material so as to enable hel
to resume her manufacturing indus
try, n. Peret said:
Il do not believe that all importa
tions of raw material to the Germans
should be forbidden, because their in
dustry would then be at a standstil
and they would be unable to pay
Neither do believe that they shoulC
be permitted to import without limi
tation because with their lower wages
longer working hours and undepleteC
supplies OF machinery they would b
able to undersell any other countrl
OA lAS mdihcl WHICH NOhu DS QuAL'
as great a calamity as being unable t
pay. However. it will be a long tins
before any European country can e1
port any raw material and the ques
ton mainly interests America
Raw Material Needs.
Il would suggest that preferentia
treatment be given the ellied oour
tries as France, Belgium AMI Serbi
have suffered the greatest damags
Raw material from Amefica should b
0ceptinued on Par, Twoo