The New York herald., 1921-01-21
Lloyd George to Consult
! Ministers Before Going to
/ Paris-Will Oppose Oc-
cupation of Ruhr.
WILL SHOW SOVIET PERIL
Willing to See That France
Gets Reparations She Needs,
but Not More Than Ger
many Can Afford.

Special Cable to THE NEW YORK HERALD.
Copy-0ht. 1891, 1y THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
London, Jan. 20.
While Premier Lloyd George was
returning to London this evening for
an important Cabinet meeting before
he goes to Paris for a conference with
the other allied Premiers, the British
Foreign Office made no secret of the
vergence between the French and the
British policies and that several deli
cate questions which 1t will be neces-
sary to thrash out will make the forth
coming meeting OF the Premiers one Of
the most important yet held.
A high official said to-day that the
French policy was: I'VE will make
Germany pay" while the British atti-
tude was: Make Germany pay, but
not in such a way that we all will
suffer from it, The British sense
great danger in the relentless policy
toward which the French are inclined
20 lean and they point out two great
deasers in forcing Germany too far
at this critical period.
One is the danger of Bolshevism in
Germany. which probably would de-
stroy all hope of any payment and at
the same time he serious menace to
France The other is the danger Of a
Soviet drive at a time when Germany.
completely disarmed and overburdened,
would be completely helpless--a situa-
tion which certainly would threaten
both France and England more than
the German civil guards do now.
His Expected Attitude.
Although It is not known what tack
Premier Lloyd George will take when
he gets to Paris. there is much founda-
tion for the belief he will urge that Ger
many be allowed to go slow in the mat
ter of disa-ming her guards and that
the reparations demands be kept down
somewhere near what France positively
needs, so that Germany will be allowed
to get on q better footing, thus insuring
full reparations payments later. Eng
land has still got an eye to the future,
while 1t Is felt here that France wants
to collect the fruits of her victory now.
In the Premiers' conference England
will stand on her old ground In the
matter OF further occupation of German
territory. British officials are unquali-
fiedly against occupation OF the Ruhr
Valley with the present conditions ex-
listing In Germany. The Foreign Office
thinks a far better method is to let the
Germans work the rich coal district her.
self SO that she can pay her bills, and
the British delegation at the Paris con-
ference may be expected to contest stout
ly any French suggestion to take over
the Ruhr.
stands Pat on sevres Treaty.
Again. in the matter of the Sevres
treaty England intends TO stand pat
a Foreign Office official said. England
wants the Eastern situation to further
work itself out first, because, as it was
pointed out here, neither France nor
Great Britain can afford to send troops
to Smyrna now, and there is no other
solution of the Eastern problem II the
clauses of the treaty OF Sevres are
changed.
Premier Lloyd George is most anxious
that England and France should con-
tnue to act together. and he viii make
every endeavor to insure consistent
line Of policy in order that an agreement
may be reached.
Premier Brands statement in the
French Chamber Of Deputies on the new
Cabinets policy s regarded here as en-
couraging. and the British delegation
will go 70 Paris convinced that the frst
and most important consideration Is the
continued maintenance of the close alli-
arI 81, "a. tru