The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-09-02
WOULD TREAT ALL
DEBTS AS WHOLE
British Want to Lump lnterallied
War Indebtedness.
ASK GENERAL REIMBURSEMENT
Proposal Is Dramatically Opposed TO
the Views of Secretary Mellon
London's Attitude Is Caus-
ing Disquieting Effect


Washington, Aug. 30.-The British
government has informally advised the
United States that, when negotiations
for the payment Of it's war debt are
resumed it will insist upon general
reimbursement of the interallied in
debtedness as the basis for a hnal
settlement it was learned authOrl-
tatively here.
According to information In onc1al
quarters, Great Britain believes tnat
in liquidating the war loans, those
made by the United States to the al
lies and those made among themselves
should be treated as q whole instead
of severally. Her idea, 1t is said, is
that it will facilitate the liquidation.
While the British government has
proposed no definite plan for handling
the war Indebtedness, the tentative
suggestion has been made that each
country issue uniform bonds to the
amount Of it's obligations, which would
afterward be excta red among them
Opposes Melon Views.
The British attitude Is having dis
Quieting effect in administration cir
cles It Is Numerically opposed to
that of Secretary Of the Treasury Mel
lon and severe complications between
the two governments are in prospect
if she persists in her view.
Secretary Mellon believes that the
debts to this government should be
handled individually without reference
to obligations held by the allies be-
tween themselves. He also opposes
acceptance of obligations other than
those of the debtor country in repay
ment in the case of the larger nations
such as Great Britain, France and
Italy. AS to the smaller governments
whose stability is not so certain he
believes it might be well to take even
German reparation bonds in settle
ment.
The government was officially mott
fed of Great Britain's position a year
ago when negotiations which had been
were suddenly terminated. At that
time the British premier, Lloyd George,
wrote President Wilson that his gov
eminent could not proceed to a settle
ment unless it was made part and
parcel of an all round arrangement
of interallied debts"
Lloyd Georges Argument.
AS the British premier put it, the
interallied Indebtedness was the
larger question:" and the settlement
of the British debt to the United
States could not be allowed to ''preju
dice it." If this country could formu-
late a plan recOnciling the two, the
British government" he added,
would be glad to fall in with it."
The Treasury department refused
summarily to entertain the proposal,
and the American negOtiatOrs were re-
called from London. When the adj
ministratiOn changed hands and the
question of resuming negotiations was
again brought to the fore, it was
thought that Great Britain had al
tered her opinion on the subject. The
new administration has learned, how
ever, that it is still the same.
According to treasury officials, the
advantages of the British plan from
their standpoint are obvious They
point out that a large share of the
money she obtained from this country
was subsequently passed along in loans
to her allies. They assert if she could
apply the securities she has taken for
these loans against the Indebtedness
to the United States, the Treasury
department would eventually have it's
vaults stacked with the bonds of half
Of the nations of the Old World, whose
ability to pay in many cases is serious
ly doubted.
The same situation, treasury Off
Gals declare, is true of France and
to some extent Italy. Finally, they
assert, it would mean that all this
country would have to show for the
.S10,OOO,0OO0O0 it loaned abroad dur
ing the war would be the questionable
securities Of a lot of small nationali-
ties, to which the principal allies lent
money, instead Of their bonds, whose
value is unchallenged.
cNET GOAL NUTDHT cIIIARDo