The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-05
FRANCE MUST PAY !. FOR REBUILDING
 DEVASTATED AREA
Supplemental Fiscal Burden of Seven Billion Francs Faced Retause of Remission
 Granted Germany
By ANDRE TARDIEU Former French High Commissioner to America and Delegate to the Peace

By ANDRE TARDIEU
 America and Delegate to the Peace
 Conference
 Special Cable to The Age Herald
 Copyright, 1921, by The Age-HeraId)
 (France faces enormous tax
 burdens result of the modi-
 fled reparntlens agreement, hut
 the Parliament has approved the
 settlement In the hope that the
 interminnhie negotiations and in-
 ter allied conferences have come
 to an end. M. Tardieu sees in the
 departure from the text of the
 treaty of Versailles, however,
 condemnation to perpetual neso-
 tiations in the future. Public
 opinion has become daxed and de-
 tached, a disturbing condttion.)
 A
 Paris, June 4.-(Special.) )-France is about to be saddled with a heavy burden of taxation to pay for great part of the reconstruction of her northern provinces, and to provide war pensions, all because Germany has been granted a remission of more than one-third of her just war debt from sixty to ninety billions of francs.
 SiA oStOhiI VI aHlc anu uSittioHt revenues this year, we are facing a supplementary fiscal burden of at least 7,0o0,000 francs a year, which when submitted to the taxpayers Is certain to cause unanimous irrita- ton. because the whole of France considers it unjust to make the French people pay instead of the Ger mans, in plain contradiction of the promises of the treaty of Versailles
 This realization comes at time when news from beyond the Rhine is only moderately satisfactory. It is true the Wirth cabinet has paid sim gle billion exacted under the London agreement, Instead of the 12,000. 900 which. according to the treaty, she should have paid on May 1.
 Put Bavaria still refuges to disarm, German troops continue to penetrate Upper Slesia. We see well known agents of pre-war imperialism now in the German cabinet, men like Rosen, the foreign minister, one of the most vehement opponents of the recent settlement. and like Rathenau. the minister of reconstruction. To profess confidence in these men and this situation, as Premier Briand did In this weeks debates in the Cham Der of Deputies. demands great credulity.
 Vote Requires Analysis
 These debates, based upon the diff ferent and the difficult problems sug- gested by the London separations agreement, resulted in a vote in the chamber which requires some analy- sis. Out of 620 deputies, 39o ap- proved the government in an order of the day which pointed out that the melancholy London decisions repre- sent the ''irreducible minimum" of what France can accept. In addition to the 158 deputies who voted against the government, about 50 abstained from voting, which means that more than one-third of the chamber re- fused to vote their confidence in the cabinet declarations.
 The vote marks the important fact that there Is objection of a definitive character. to the reduction of Frances rights under the Versailles treaty.
 In pointing out the reasons for the vote. l propose to make known to the American public the present state of French opinion. I need not empha- size the fact that 1t was with any thing but a glad heart that the which even M Doumer, the minister of finance, himself admits is leaving France with a war burden of at least 60,000.0 900 francs. My estimate and that of the chairman of the Senate finance commission. is 90.00o,000, all of which, according to the Versailles tr eaty, Germany ought to pay. Yet majority agreed to ratify this solution of the problem.
 Why?
 Numerous Reasons
 There are all sorts of reasons. Some concern home affairs others concern the international situation. Concern ing home affairs. the chamber--much to it's credit--dreads a new ministerial crisis and desires for France stead fast government. Furthermore the Briand cabinet had taken precautions to consolidate it's forces before the opening of the debate To the parties
 (Contfnued on Page Tenl