The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-26

from Germany was lost in the pur- chasing power of the franc. Eng land, receiving but little of the mon ey suffered in the monetary decline. And yet what else could be expected The allied supreme council was warned time and time again that the demands for huge reparation sums would upset the economic world. Un- der the pressure of France. the coun- ell went ahead with It's senseiess de- mands, and now it begins to look as if the problem would have to be re- opened and some new method of pay- ment devised.
 Matter of Bargain
 I endeavored to point out at the time the reparations question was under discussion in London that it was not merely g matter of bargain between two or three countries. said very plainly that 1t was the greatest problem tho civilized world had ever faced.
 We offered France the manual la bor of thousands of German work men to rebuild northern France Here was something tangible. soine- thing productive, something creative. But France refused. She said it might result In colonization and that the inhabitants of the regions devas- tated by the war might not like the presence of so many of their former enemies
 We offered machines and techni cal equipment and implements, but we were told that this was impossible.
 "Le Boche payera"
 The German must pay!
 Well, we pay. and the first conse- fo France.
 Surrender of Ships
 The surrender of our ships to Eng land brought down the price of ton- mage everywhere. until ships, price, less three years ago. are being al- lowed to rust in many bone yard" Yet we still build ships to be sur rendered to the allies, while the al- He'd shipyardE are at a standstill. We offer coal to France--and at figure that England could not meet, even if her mines were In operation. If we continue to offer this coal at price below the cost of production in Eng land, what becomes of Albion's ex- port coal trade in the future
 Germany could continue to pay France in American dollars and per haps the world would not be so up- set if America would buy a sufficient lquantity of German goods. But America will not buy. She is the only country capable of paying for merchandise in standard gold money. She could help Germany's paying ca pacity but the American Congress is working to shut out all foreign made goods by the protective tariff wall. European countries. all are continuing to oppose the importation of large quantities of German dyestuffs and manufactured goods, because they say they do not want to imperiI their own industries.
 The Solution
 The solution. then, after all. has not been so simple as Mir. Lloyd George and M. Briand seemed to think. My prediction that no me- chanical means could be coniured up to make 1t so has been amply full filled.
 Meantime what are the prospects of a Franco German rapproachment? :?
 Perhaps wave of sanity is sweep ing over Europe after all. Perhaps 1t will take something of an economic cataclysm In France before it can be realized. Perhaps M. Lolcher. who had much to do with the prepara tion of the treaty, realized the economic Consequence of Germany being com pejled to pay in gold would be when he and Herr Rathneau held their re- cent conference at Weisbaden.
 Al any event, the responsible offi- cials of the two governments are get ting close together. I have wondered If the Wirth government might sue ceed in allaying some of the fears and suspicious of France. Events would seem to prove that some prog reag fs being made in that d;ractio,,