Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1921-01-02


Copyright 1920, by The Press Publishing
Co. (The New York Worid,)
Brussels, Jan. Upon America de-
ponds Germany.s ability to discharge
promptly and fully her reparational OBJ
legations to the allies. The Berlin gov
eminent will undertake TO increase pay
ment in kind to its foreign creditors
only if credit for purchases of food are
open to its account in the United States,
based on the security of a billion dollars
worth of property owned by German ma
tionals in that country
This is perhaps the most important
single point established at the confer
ence of allied and German financial and
economic experts.
Although seldom referred to in the
delegates conversation and never in the
official communicates. the United States
has been a very important factor in this
latest attempt to solve the reparation
riddle. The reason is simple enengh
Germany cannot pay the debt she owes
her victors until her economic solyency
is assured and that, according to the
emphatic declaration of the Reich's rep
resentatives. cannot be until financial
aid is Forthcoming from the. only quar-
ter whence it is Observation-Disclosures.
Anxious TO Reach Settlement.
France and Italy, moreover, are anx-
ious not only to settle hsrrassing prob
lem OF how and when Germany is to
make good her indebtedness to them. but
how they are going to pay the billion
dollars owed by them to Britain and
the United States. There is a highly
significant tendency among the French
and Italian technicans with whom /
have talked to believe that the economic
depression in America resulted from her
ton in Europe, because European con-
sumers could not afford TO pay in dollars
at the prevailing rates Of exchange. and
that this must eventually lead to the
adoption by America Of a more gem
erous attitude toward her war debtors.
Carl Bergman chief of the German
delegation. and owner of the great cleo
trical plant at Berlin that bears his
name. maintained to the last his con-
tention that for years TO come his coun-
try would not be in a position to make
any payment toward PREPARATION. He
admitted, however. that payment in kind
could doubtless he increased if the en-
tente would grant Germany certain con-
cesSionS.
Four Proposals Made.
He proposed four principal conces-
sions each Of which, it may be observed
parenthetically. would constitute re
vision of the letter. if not the spirit of
the Versailles treaty. They are: First
The retention by Germany of 80 900
tons of shipping. mostly of the coast
wise type, that she still possesses and
n possible attribution to her of addition
al tonnage. cpnd-Cessation of liqui
dation of German property in allied
countries and the return TO German
owners of all property still intact.
Third Modification of the reciprocal
basis of the present system for recov-
cry by allied nations Of money owed
them by Germans. Fourth-Freedom
to conclude economic treaties with neu-
trail or former enemy powers without
giving 10 the allied nations privileges
similar to those conferred by such treat
les.
Herr Bergman argued it was essen
tial to Germany's recovery to keep the
mark from falling 10 dangerously low
level He expressed the hope that
America would provide full credit as
part of this policy. He laid great stress
on Germanys need for foodstuffs TO the
value of .DOo.0O000 gold marks (nom-
inally SG90,000000l before the next
harvest.
Optimism is General.
A feeling Of optimism pervades the
Hotel Astoria, headquarters of all the
delegates 1t is the general belief that
definite progress has been made aud
that before the conference finally adj
iourns comprehensive and construct
i've program will be formulated and laid
before the various governments.
For the first time Germany has been
on footing of equality with her inter
locutors and the deliberations have been
not on the strict basis of the treaty,
but on the problem of what Germany
can pay. The treaty was pushed into
the background A British delegate re-
marked that the reparations commission
could never have done what the confer
ence has done, because it was bound
hand and foot by the treaty.