The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-10-25
PREPARATIONS BODY
WILL co TO BERLIN
TO TAKE Up ISSUE.
England Makes Concession
Toward French Viewpoint.
Commission Will Suggest
Reforms for Germany

Paris. October PA modification
of Great Britian's position regard
ing reparations. Indicated by Sir
John Bradbury at a meeting of the
PREPARATIONS commission today, will
make it possible for the commission
to leave Paris for Berlin Sunday.
with a unanimous allied agreement
on what measures will be imposed on
Germans financial administration
for the purpose of averting total
collapse of that country.
The unanimous decision to go to
Berlin was taken after Sir John
Bradbury had definitely made known
that he. on behalf of Great Britain
was willing to vote to declare Ger
many in voluntary default of her
agreement should she refuse to carry
out. within a reasonable time re-
quests OF the internal reforms which
the commission will make in Berlin.
This was big surprise to the re-
parations commission, since it was a
decided concession to the French
viewpoint.
Heretofore, the British represen-
tative had refused to declare Ger
many in default. under any condi-
lions and also had declined to be
party to any move which might be
construed as interfering with Ger
many's internal affairs.
Suggest Reforms
Sir John had told M. Barthou, the
French representative on the COM
mission that he thinks the commits
son has the right to suggest" GER
tain reforms in Germany's financial
system to the end that the budget
may balance and mark established.
Should Germany fail to make every
effort to put the proposed reforms
into effect and thereby Jeopardize
her indemnity payments, Sir John
thinks the time would then have
arrived for the commission formally
to declare Germany in voluntary de-
fault
1t is not unlikely that the British
government already has obtained
certain concessions from the French
government in return. 1t is reported
that these may take the form OF in
definitely postponing the Brussels
financial conference leaving the en-
tire reparations problem in the heads
of the commission, a point on which
Sir John Bradbury. has been strongly
insistent.
The fact that the committee on
guarantees is not to accompany the
Preparations commission to Berlin is
taken here to mean that France also
has altered her view point, since the
original French plan would have en-
trusted the imposition of new re-
forms to the committee.
The exact character of the
measures to be imposed on Germany
will be decided by the commission
between now and Sunday, certain
general ideas already having been
broadly agreed to. The commission,
however, realizes that Inquiry In
Berlin may force change. and they,
therefore, will leave their decisions
open to possible alteration.
The gravest of reports concerning
the financial condition in Germany
have reached the reparations com
mission during the last two days
These reports had much to do with
the decision of the commission to-
proceed to Berlin. Roland, the
American unofficial observer on the
commission was one of the first
to suggest the advisability of an In
quiry on the ground as the best
means for determining what add
tional reforms should be imposed.
The members of the commission
are agreed that the time has come
to take radical action on the German
situation IL the complete financial
breakdown of Germany is to be
avoided The British still hold that
a long moratorium viii be necessary
to place Germany on her financial
feet aside from the good effect the
new reforms may have. The Amer
lean observer is believed to have en-
dorsed this view. The French still
maintain that with the faithful
carrying out of the new measures
Germany soon will be able to resume
reduced. but nevertheless substantial
payments on her obligations.