The New York herald., 1922-03-01
Failure to Ratify Tripartite
Agreement Encouraged Ger
many, Say French.
BARRING ARMY LIMITS
Made it Necessary for France
to Retain 18 Months
Service.
BY LAURENCE HILLS.

Special Cable to THE NEW York HERALD.
Copyright, 1922, by THE New York HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
Paris, Feb. 28.
"The failure OF England and America
by encouraging Germany not to carry
out the stipulations OF the Treaty OF
Versailles which was intended to limit
her forces, makes 1t absolutely necessary
for France to maintain eighteen months
conscription service at least for the
present." Deputy Jean Fabry told the
Chamber of Deputies to-day in opening
the debate of French military reorgani-
cation.
There has been an impression lately
that the Government might reduce its
demands for a large army once the
Anglo French pact had been signed, but
the advocates of the bill declare that
until 1t is known that Germany has
abandoned her ideas of revenge either
against France or Poland 1t will be vir-
tually impossible to come down 10 the
half million men which would be af-
forded by a conscription period OF a
single year.
AugIo-French Pact Expected.
know how far the Anglo-French pact
has developed, but expects an early
signature In satisfactory form Comte
de Saint Aulaire, French Ambassador to
Great Britain. is still pressing Lord Cur
zon. Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, to include attacks on Germany 8
eastern neighbors as being equally
dangerous to Frances interests and to
make the duration of the pact equal to
that of the Rhine occupation. subject to
renewal for definite periods. THE New
York HERALD correspondent was assured
to-day, however, that neither of these
proposals has yet been accepted by the
British.
Deputy Fabry as the reported general
for the Governments bill which will re-
duce Frances army to approximately
675, 900 men, aroused only occasional in
terest by repeating the arguments that
have prevailed for the last two years.
Compromise Measure Likely.
In fact continual expressions of dis
sent camS from the Left as M. Fabry
developed his arguments, and although
month ago. the Government seemed
certain of a fairly large vote for its
army bill it is now evident that the
Boncour bill providing for less than a
years military service and the bill pro-
posed by Gen. dc Maud'huy demanding
reorganization of the whole army
along more economic lines by cutting
down the Rhine forces already have
made progress which is likely to force
the Government TO compromise.
NJ. F'abry insisted that Germany not
only has great chemical, metallurgical
and aviation reserves capable of being
used In war of revenge but that her
population is greater than that of
France and that she has an army of
100000 men concealed in skeleton for
nations, in the Reicbswehr and police
organizations. plus 100000 men trained
in the use of arms. All these things,
he said. made it essential for France
not to relinquish the Rhine guard
Even the United States. who had no
frontiers to defend. did not understand
the necessity for conscription until their
frontier became that extending from
Nieuport to Belfort," said NJ. Fabry in
comparing the American idea of an ex-
peditionary force with the need for a
national army to protect Frances land
frontiers.