Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-10
STILL ONE CHANCE
TO SAVE AUSTRIA
|TS|NDEPENDENCE
Commission on Reparation
Hears of s2o0,0o0,O0O
Credit Plan in Paris.
BY PAUL SCOTT MoWRER.
by Cable to The Star and Chicago
Daily News. Copyright, 1890

by Cable to The Star and Chicago
Daily News. Copyright. 1920.
VIENNA, June 30.-There Is still
one chance Of saving Austria as an
Independent state. 1t Is contained
in the report which the Austrian
subcommission has laid before the
reparations. commission in Paris, The
plan IS signed unanimously and is
in favor Of granting $2o0.0Oo.O0o
credit to Austria.
AS security for this the allies would
jointly administer temporarily Aus
trials public utilities and her wealth
OF art treasures and forests. The
Austrian government, 1t is under
stood, has agreed to this project. as,
indeed, 1t would agree to any other
plan which offered a ray Of hope.
but so far no action has been taken
in Paris.
The allies. disagree among them
selves, and, though they have money
for Persia. Syria and other far re-
gions Of the earth, there is apparent
ly none for Austria. Yet 100000, 900,
experts agree, would save this coun-
try. The possibilities before Austria
are three in number.
First. union with Germany; but
French opposition to this is so strong
that it can hardly be overcome
within two or three years. and mean
while Austria must go on living.
Union With Bavaria.
In the second place. In the improb-
able but not impossible event that
Bavaria should separate from Ger
many. there might be a union with
Bavaria, which presumably not even
the French would then oppose.
The third possibility is an effort to
organize and live independently, de-
spite all difficulties.
Hard as is Austria's plight, anon
alous as is the present constitution
difficulties, the situation is. neverthe-
less, perhaps not as hopeless as the
Austrians. made pessimistic by misery
are prone to imagine.
Given a few years of credit, the CEN
trail government would be stronger
and IL it were stronger, it would
gradually reconcile the refractory
provinces to a rule of vigor. If it had
credits it could pay the government
officials sufficiently and the present
corruption would cease. BY more
, careful organization results even
is said. be doubled. Switze rland and
Italy are countries without coal, yet
they have thriving industries The
worlds present coal crisis presumab bly,
cannot last forever. Even il coal
continues scant. Austria has abundant
| undeveloped waterpower. requiring
| only capital to be made effective.
Experts here estimate that on the
Present territory the country could
produce not 40 per cent of it's own
food. as now, but Is to 80 per cent
BY removing the ridiculously low
| maximum price on grain, production
| should be greatly stimulated. For
the rest Austria could exchange man.
| ufactured goods for food with the
neighboring countries of Hungary
I and Jugoslavia. which have food sur
pulses. but no industries.
Budget Made to Balance.
| With few years credit taxes could
pc established and the-budget made to
balance. Even the question of the ma :
tionai debt Is not insuperable. BY sta
Dllizfng the crown at it's present low
valuation. the debt would be reduced
about forty times and for the coun-
try's financial future it is immaterial
what value Is taken as the unit. The
most pressing question is to avert
United States has advanced to Austria
enough flour to last till fall The
harvest and the help Of neutrals may
/ see the country through to January /
| 1921. Beyond that date no one car
see. A French diplomat said:
IF l thought l had to look again
] next winter on the same spectacle OF
/ cold and hunger as saw last win
ter. I would leave Vienna"
| Yet nothing apparently save credit
from abroad can avert this tragedy
country can tide 1t over the next two
az net Dni9 i'll ~ he p-if