The New York herald., 1922-12-13
BRITISH OPPOSING
ADVANCE into RUHR
Bonar Law Again ProtestsAny
Military Acts if Debts Are
to Be voided.
CLARIFIES HIS POSITION
Says England Should Not Be
Only Country Expected to
Repay Loans.
CLARIFIES HIS POSITION

Special cobie to THE NEW YORK IiEhAtD.
Copyright, 1893. BY THE New YonK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau,
London, Dec 12. I
Prime Minister Bonar Law made
statement in the House of Commons
tonight coinciding with the spirit
of dispatches published here purport-
ing to interpret the opinion OF the
Washington Administration. Hence,
while reports from Paris indicate
continued determination Of Premier
Poincare to insist upon the Ruhr
seizure, 1t Is being urged here that
such action would find France iso-
lated from America as well as from
Great Britain.
The Prime Minister had in mind the
statement he made the allied Premiers
Saturday when he spoke OF the pos
sibility of considering debt cancella-
ton in case of satisfactory repara-
tions settlement. In such settle
ment he said there must be no mill
tary action of any character by the
French.
"As the House is aware" he de-
clared, "the London conversations are
to be resumed in Paris next month.
Under these circumstances 1t will be
Impossible for me to refer to the dis
cussions that have already taken
place. However, there is one subject
the question OF interallied debts
which has been referred to In the
press: and as It may be regarded to
some extent departure from our
previous policy I think 1t will be
better to recall the words used by me.
al said IL would not be right that
settlement should be fixed In such way
that we only of all the allied countries
should be virtually paying Indemnity.
What did seem fair to me was to con-
slider that the whole amount could be
obtained Of Germany and say: AS you
are not getting all you expect from Ger
many we must reduce our claim. For
that reason'-and / think this an Inn
portant statement-'if we saw some
chance for a complete settlement with a.
prospect of finality we should be willing
to run a certain risk In the nature OF
not receiving as much from the Allies
and Germany as we might have to pay
America
IT added that was sure every one
would agree II would be foolish to make
such q concession IL the whole position
were to be reopened again"
The Allied Premiers departed to-day.
II is reported that Premier Mussolini
gave definite orders to the Italian press
while ne was here. Send your papers
this dispatch" he Is said to have told
"tell them that unless they print II I
will suppress them" They demurred
at such dictation, but at last reports
not only were the current newspapers
not suppressed. but Socialist papers were
reappearing.
Aside from mangling Of the Balfour
note. which stated the Lloyd George
Governments attitude as TO interallied
debts, one of the tangible results Of the
conference Is the blowing ub OF Musso-
lini as a serious factor In international
politics. The opinion OF those In the
conference Is that he did not grasp the
situation from the mcf 80 when he
heartily shook the hand he wooden
faced doorkeeper IN Ee ..irg street,
thinking he was Bonar Law till the last
few moments OF the conference.
Nobody tonight Is willing TO predict
what may happen before January 2.
or what may happen then. Allied unity
may be preserved on the British plea
that dscord at the moment would give
the Turks a leg up at Lausanne and
enable them to override the careful and
Continued on Page Five.