New-York tribune., 1921-12-25
No Sacrifice of French
Claim for Reparations
Was Suggested at Lon
don Conference, He Says
Clever Strategy
Avoids Test Vote.
Policy Toward Bank i'm
China Defended; Holds
1t Will Yet Be Saved
By Wilbur Forrest


PARIS, Dec. PA smashing attack
against the BRAND ministry by the
Clemenceau forces in the Chamber of
Deputies failed to-day because the
Premier proved himself better par
liamentary general. He succeeded in
forestallng a vote of confidence.
The first onslaught took the form Of
an attempted Interpolation by Deputy
Klotz, who was Minister of Finance in
the Clemenceau Cabinet, and the
author of the financial clauses of the
Treaty of Versailles. He asked whether
BRAND in his conversations last week
with Lloyd George had surrendered
French rights to full dues from Ger
many, and whether French interests
had not been imperiled in view of the
international issues discussed at Lon
don.
Premier BRAND refused to regard the
oAestions as an Interpolation, as they
might have then become subject to q
vote of confidence and thus have COM
promised his fSeedom OF action at the
Forthcoming meeting of the Allied Su-
preme Council at Cannes. But he
soothed the Cham ber by plain speech.
in which he assured the deputies that
France would not abandon any of her
guarantees nor make any sacrifices in a
rearrangement of the schedule of Ger
man reparations payments.
Chinese Bank Policy Defended
With the first attack of his enemies
beaten off and vote of confidence on
his international policies safely averted,
Premier BRAND turned his attention to
criticisms leveled at the Cabinet for
! its alleged failure to rescue the French
Bank in China from complete bank
ruptcy and dissolution. The Chamber
at s o'clock tonight was still debating
the question, but the morale of the
opposition had weakened and it scanned
uhlikely that a confidence vote would
develop.
Premier BRAND intervened in the
bank debate before it had gained much
momentum, answering, first an inter
pellation by Deputy Outrey, who repre-
sents, Indo- China. Two strong efforts
had been made to save the French in
sttution in the Far East, the Premier
Said, and third was now being made
which doubtless would succeed. He
explained that this plan involved the
attrihution of the French share of the
Boxer indemnity to the bank for re-
building the institution. He, pointed
out that it was to Frances interests
to prevent the Chinese people from
losing anything.
No Guarantees Renounced
There was no question Of scrapping
the reparations provisions of the Yer
sailles Treaty at the, Cannes confer
ence, Premier BRAND said in his speech
on reparations. He said that France
was not going to renounce any of the
guarantees she had under that pact,
but that the Allies governments would
simply talk over their attitude toward
the German declaration of inability to
pay. In fact, he said, France might
ask even greater guarantees for the fu-
ture.
The Premier gained the confidence
of the Deputies by telling them that
the relations of Great Britain and
France had been greatly strengthened
by his trip to London to talk with
Lloyd George, but BRAND said he didn t
want to go into the nature of his dis
cussions with the British Premier be-
fore the Cannes meeting. He refused
to allow hecklers to get any hint of
the plans the Cabinet is working on to
assure German war bill payments, say
ing: at would be incompatible with
cept further discussion of the mat
ter"
Financial Program Essential
The Premier branched off into what
he termed the most important subject
before the Supreme Council session
the consideration of plan for sta abiliz-
economic worries of European coun-
tries and said they demanded interna-
tional attention. Certain views had
been exchanged in London, he said, as
to the best way of rebuilding Europe.
Taking into account not only the
Allies, but also another friendly nation
that unfortunately was now outside ox
the present negotiations" BRAND said
he hoped the results of the proposed
economic conference would bring ad-
Vantages to France rather than the sac
rjtipoc which Soma. fo ra1