Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-03-21
MILLER ON CLAIMS
AGAINST GERMANY
Alien Property Custodian Gives
His Ideas In Regard to
Settlement.

"The rnal disposition OF the $780,
100000 worth OF alien property now
being administered by the government
through the allen property custodian
under the Trading With the Enemy
net has a direct bearing on the eco
nomic relations between this country
and Europe. with particular reference
to tho Central Powers" said Colonel
Thomas w. Miller. allen property cun-
todInn. in nm address before the Her
cucs club IN Trinity parish house
laet night. "The sequestered proper
ty," he continued. may have
bearing on the settlement Of Ameri-
can claims against Germany. and later
on particular reference will be made
10 the provisions of the Knox-Porter
peace resolution referring TO American
claims. With peace existing between
tho United States and the Central
powers. Il will be incumbent upon
Congress very ehortly to consider
legialation and enact n law which Will
provide for tho disposition or this
property and regulate It's return TO the
people from whom II was temporarily
taken.
I'm the Knox Porter peace reeo-
luton, upon which the treaty Of
peace with Germany was based, and
tho Presidential proclamationa there
under. reference is made To American
claims against Germany, In that the
resolution states the sequestered prop
eety should be retained until suitable
provision IL made for the claim Of on
nationals against Germany. There
are several classes OF claims: as fol
| instance, those of Americans whose
cas sh was seized by the German Gus
tcdlan and who are now being Offered
tho return OF their cash at tho de
preciated value Of tho mark, which 4
accepted, amounts to practical con
fscatiun There are claims on III
with the state Department for th'
loos OF property and ltfe al sea grow
ing out of submarine sinkings pre-
vious 10 April 6. 1917. The total amour
of these claims up to March, 1921. wa
t4ib 100000. or this amount ap
prOxlmately S190.000,000 were tor
claims foe loss of life and statistic
show that In past conflicts betwee
nations final settlement was conclude
for this class OF claims for only abou
two per cent OF tho original claim.
has been noted recently a new class {
claim has cropped up, viz: the COS
OF the army of occupation on III
Rhine, amounting to date to soT
I t24i 100000.
Under the Treaty Of Versatile
5 Great Britain, France and some of II
other Allied Nations adopted u
+. Clearing House system which provi'
ed for liquidation Of all proper
seized from Germany and tho 9th
countries and the respective COVER
ments. out OF the liquidation OF Il
seized property paid their own nj
: tlonaIs. and II there was any residu
return tho same through tho Clearir
: House.
1T is thus 70 hc seen that the ali'
property I'm this country may have
!, direct bearing on tho economic rel
tons OF this country. both domesi
and foreign, and it will be necessary
tho near future for the Administr
ton and Congress 10 solve the pro
lem. a happy solution might be
: scheme as has Just been outlined. II
o would not be confiscation, which is r
y pugnant and not to be thought Of; y
VI on the other hand. would not provi
= for the unconditional return OF pro
% erty. which cannot be followed II {
le policy indicated in the peace resol
$ ton is adhered TO. Some such scher
D. would return 10 the poorer classes
9 Germany their property and perm
0; the larger interests 10 leave their ca