The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-08
BELGIUM SEEKS
INDEMNITY NOW
Country Cannot Wait for EX-
act Reckoning, Says Baron
Van Den Ncuvel.
PARTIAL PAYMENT URGED
Nation i'm Need of Food and
Machinery at Once.
He Pleads.
PARTIAL PAYMENT URGED
b. the Associated Press.

PARIS, Feb. THE financial claims
Of Belgium against Germany are most
urgent, Baron van den Neuvel, mem
ber of the Belgium peace delegation
and a member Of the Peace Conference
Committee on Preparations, said to-
day.
Belgium, he declared, has not time
to wait for an agreement to be reached
on the exact figures of the indemnity
which is due her before obtaining at
least partial reparation. The Baron
said that a percentage of the in
demnity should he paid Immediately.
Belgium needs food and machinery
at once. he added. Her working men
are idle. her industries are at stand
still or working at a loss and her for
eign trade will go to other markets
unless something is done without de-
lay.
Long Time for Reckontng.
Baron van den Heuvel said 1t would
take much time to reckon the exact
figure Of Relgiums losses through mill
rcauisi,iona. The amount OF damages
is varied and the Government. cities,
towns, villages and private citizens have
suffered heavy losses. The Belgian Gov
ernment alone spent S600,00O,O0o for
carrying on the war and more than
siOo, 600 900 for feeding the popuia,iors
In occupied territory.
Forced war contributions eNacted from
al during
than four years aggregated from w.
| 100000 TO slt0o0.oQo a month. the
Baron said. Private citizens have been
despoiled Of their copper and other val
uAbiss and their sufyer!nes through un-
employment have been accentuated by
! the high cost Of Hving. More than
| $4,000 houses in Belgium have been de-
stroyed.
In an effort TO ruin Belgian competS
ton after the war. the Baron continued.
Germany seized all raw materials and
the greater part OF the machln ry ana
electrical installations in the iron. steel
and manufacturing plants. The Cocker
i'll steel plant. for instance. which en-
ployed nearly 1900 workmen Dctore
the war, has been stripped OF all ma
chinery and rendered useless. Out OF
the 3,2c0 breweries in Belgium $500
have been robbed OF their copper ma
terial Of all kinds.
Damage TO soil.
The Belgian farmers. the Baron said,
have lost all their horses. especially
booded stations so sorely needed now
for reproduction. All the CATTLE have
been requisItioned and sent to Germany
and the very land itself is poor In the
Walioon provinces for lack of fertilizer
and for the same reason in Flanders.
- 4, IN, I|ian
ders have affected n large part of the
province and rendered that part of Bel
. GUM sterile for the next seven years.
while the foregoing losses may be
I figured In money, what cannot be reck-
! oned in money Is the very terrible
> ravaGes in health suffered by our p"pu-
,a.ion because ~ nrivations," the Baron
! continued "Orc hundred and twenty
+ thousand worknen were forcibly de-
p ported 10 Germany or TO the zone i'm
mediaiely behird the fighting line. one
hundred thousand have returned enact
ated and III such a state of health that
they arc an easy prey to tuberculosis.
} IN order that life may resume its
normal trend in Belgium many things
are Indispensable which do not depend
altogether upon the Belgans. What
Belgium needs is the Immediate re-
/ establishment OF means of commun-
! CdllDll, lIldtAlllISIs' 4"N lllh'''i"'' N'S
toms tariffs to protect home industries
and the immediate payment by Germany
! of the war indemnity TO the full limit
. of her resources"
Asked II he thought that his country
had claim to priority on the first in
stallmont on the indemnity TO be paid
by Germany, Baron van den Ieurcl
said
"Cau YOU name any country which
is more deserving of priority than Bel
GUM? However, arrangements have
Just been concluded by which France
Great Britain and America guarantee
TO send 100000 francs worth OF
products and raw material to Belgium