The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-04-28
PARATIONS MUST
Be CUT, SAYS PAISH
Germany Cannot Make Prom
ised Payment Without
Foreign Loan.
SETS LIMIT TO ABILITY
Says Hundred Million Pounds
Would Open Credit and
Restore Europe.
SETS LIMIT TO ABILITY
ny SIR GEORGE PAIsH.

BY SIR GEORGE PAISH.
Special Gable to THE New YosK HERALD.
Copyright. 1929, by THE NEW YoRK HERALD.
GENOA. April 27.-When Chicago
was destroyed by fire the first thing
considered was the preservation of
the homeless from hunger and cold,
while the next thing was the method
by which the city could be rebuilt
and the people restored to their nor
NAL occupations and incomes in the
shortest space of time possible.
Again, after the earthquake of San
Francisco, there was the least pos
sible delay in rebuilding the city and
getting the citizens back at work.
The great European war was a dis
aster in comparison with which the
Chicago fire and the San Francisco
earthquake are dwarfed to insignifi-
canoe. Therefore, Immediately when
this conflict ceased, remedial meas
ures of still more comprehensive
character were needed even more
urgently than for those minor calami-
ties, in order to mitigate the suffer
ing entaiied by the peoples not of one
city. but of many countries, and to
enable vast multitudes again to be-
come self-supporting
Homes and farms were required to
be rebuilt, factories reconstructed,
railways repaired and reequipped
mines and oil wells reopened. and
generally everything done TO render
| the injured peoples again self-sup-
porting. That such measures were
not taken did not arise from failure
to appreciate the magnitude of the
disaster. 1t came from the inability
Of statesmen to understand the task
OF reconstructing Europe beyond the
immediate capacity of either TIE in
jured nations or Of the central Pow
ers. who were also injured; and that
active cooperation of the entire world
In Chicago and San Francisco the
work of rebuilding was greatly facili-
tated by the payments on fire insur-
no insurance fund accumulated against
so great a calamity as universal war
and the Governments whose duty it
was to compensate the civilian popu-
lation for their material injuries and
thus assist them back to work con-
sidered they had performed their duty
by demanding payment of reparations
on a fantastic scale by the vanquished
who not only could not pay but needed
assistance themselves In order to re-
cover.
Plans Still Indefinite.
Now, three and half years after
the great war was ended, the nations
have met together TO consider what
steps should be taken TO repair the
destruction caused by the war and to
enable the ravaged countries again ia
become self-supporting.
| But even now no plan has been pre-
sented to show the amount of money
needed and how it is to be raised
Resolutions as to the need OF injured
nations to balance expenditures with
revenues. to issue no more paper
money, to avoid scrambling for gold
&C, &c, have been formulated, but not
word has been said as to how these
operations can be performed or as "a
how the funds needed for reconstruc-
tion are to be obtained by the nations
who. even when reconstructed, viii be
in no position to repay.
In the background there is the sum
of $1,000. .o0o.0 900 reparation. which Ger
many has promised under compulsion
to pay, and which cannot be collected
Apart from material supplies handed
over by Germany as satisfaction for
the demands upon her as soon as pos
siblc after peace was concluded Ger
many has made no reparation pay-
ments: she has not been able to pay
even the fun cost of the armies or oc-
cupation. Now Germany has informed
the Entente she will not be able TO pay
any further sums for reparation unless
she is able TO raise foreign loan large
enough to cover reparation payments
for three. perhaps four, years.