The New York herald., 1922-05-12

Z,
rents have to be brought back into for
mer channels or find new ones, actual
devastation has to be made good and
the means of production restored.
Sir George Paish talks of homes
and farms to be rebuilt, factories re-
constructed, railways repaired and re-
equipped, mines and oil wells rcopened
and everything done to render injured
/ peoples agslin elf-supporting."
All this no doubt is true. Eut Ait is
not true of Europe In general.
Helping France Helps Europe.
/ In the words of President MilIerand:
France does not intend to sacrifice
the reconstruction Of Europe to its
own reconstruction, but believes she
is right in thinking, without egoism
or injustice, that the reconstruction
of Eer own devastated areas, which
served as rampant for the armies of
civilization, is an essential part of the
reconstruction of Europe" M
| Why Sir George Paish should as
sert that such remedial measures as
he enumerates have not been taken
that three and a half years after TIE
great war ended the nations have met
| together to consider what steps should
be taken to repair the destruction
caused by the war" the F'renchman is
rather at a loss to understand.
If, as we strongly believe, individual
| effort is the only key to collective i'm
provement; if this world crisis is not
brought to an end after all except by
making fresh money and saving it
for further productive undertakings
Fance cetainly has not failed in its
duty in the last three or four years.
and everything she could do toward
rebuilding the devastated area she las
done.
In May. 1921, party OF British ex-
service men met in that part of
France where they had borne the
brunt of the German attack in April,
1913. They simply could not recog-
nize the place.
Such tales are everywhere. Most of
the land has been cleared of barbed
wire, grenades and shells and is un-
der cultivation once more. Roads have
been repaired, bridges rebuilt. rail-
ways relaid. mills and factories re-
erected. mines pumped dry and tim
bered and set to working again.
'9nMie Mieeea4D Cost. ny Tassa.staiRo,sn,. asastaiR,s, nae~a
The December. 1921, production al
ready amounted to 81 per cent. of the
1913 monthly output. and amounts to
62 per cent. of the Nord district. For
the whole of 1921 the combined pro-
duction OF both fields stood at 5000. 900
tons, as against 100000 in 1918.
Meanwhile, housing and accommoda-
ton are being provided for the miners.
The cost so far has been met partly
by taxation, chiefly by internal loans.
n. Dean Jays, Bankers Trust Com
pany, New York, will supply American
readers with all the needful particulars.
During the years 1919, 1920 and 1921
approximately $4,000. 100000 francs
were spent for reconstruction and PEN
sions to soldiers widows and disabled
and interest on loans issued for both
purposes. Another 10000. 600, 900 francs
will have to be found soon, nor win
that be the end.
OF course the French budget. with
taxation averaging more than 500
francs a head Of 40,0OO.O0O population.
and nothing coming from the dew
astated provinces, which contributed
about % per cent, of the prewar in
come, cannot possibly be balanced un-
less the interest on these huge loans
is provided by the annual installments
OF the indemnity due from Germany.
Sir George Paish gasps at the ehor-
nous figures. They have not been of
our making any more than OF our
choosing. Preparations are no arbi-
trary invention Of ours.
AS regards keeping our debtor
eternally in JAIL this indeed is fig
ure of speech with nothing behind it.
AS regards "the sums he can and will
willingly pay" we shrewdly guess
that he would name a very small one
indeed, having so far shown no evi-
dence in his financial arrangements
that he ever intends TO pay at all, il
he can possibly help it.
Apart from material and supplies
handed over by Germany ior the
satisfaction OF demands upon her soon
after peace was concluded Germany
has made no reparation payments"
Sir George Paish rightly observes.
Now, within the two or three years
that followed the war of 1870 France
lad managed to collect and pay an in
demnity of 5000, 900 900 francs.
We quite agree with the April 30
editorial in THE NEW York HERALD.
that "the man who pays MS obliga-
tions in full is held in high esteem by
his fellow men as an honest man; and
the man who takes advantage of the
Bankruptcy Jaws to release him from
debt is held in contempt by his fellow
men. This Is as true of governments
as of men,
The question may be asked whether
bankrupt Germany has reestablished
herself. We hold tkat her bankruptcy
is OF "a financial rather than of an
economic nature, and chiefly due TO "A
peculiar method Of balancing accounts.
without implicitly trusting in the
liberal and pacific republican Ger
many" which Sir George Is pleased to
assure us the world would no more
permit to conquer us than II allowed
monarcfist Germany. 1t Is fact that
we do not mind in the least how the
money is raised. so long as the in
stallments are paid" And we should
welcome any suggestion that might
enable Germany TO raise IL.
axT TtA1 t1.x 4. n. 4