The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-01-04
GERMANY HELD IN
WILLFUL DEFAULT
Britain OverruIed in Reparation
Board Vote on Question Of
Wood Deliveries in 1922.
BIG VICTORY FOR FRANCE
Failure to Complete Delivery of Wood
Voted voIuntary-Paris Sees Great
Significance In Itaio Belgian
Swing on Eve Of Conference.

Paris.-France gained an important
victory in the Allied Reparation Com
mission when the commission by a
vote of 3 to / declared Germany In
voluntary default in her wood deliver
les for 1922
France, Belgium and Italy voted in
favor of the declaration, while Great
Britain cast her ballot against it.
The decision Of the commission was
immediately communicated to the al
lied governments for their action. It
may have. a vital effect on the repara,
tons problem if France can retain the
support of Italy and Belgium when the
reparations question is discussed at
the meeting of the premiers on Janu-
airy g.
The lone vote cast against the dec
laration by Great Britain was in ac-
cordance with British policy, which
has been opposed to declaring Ger
many in default, in the fear that such
action might have disastrous effect
on the already precarious state OF
German finance.
France is considered to have scored
an important point by reason OF the
fact that the decision of the commits
sion was arrived at on majority
vote France had been alone for a
many could Le placed in voluntary
default by a single majority vote.
Italy's support of France in the bal
loting came as surprise.
Germany has carried out more than
so per cent of its schedule of wood
deliveries for this year. When the
German experts were before the COM
mission several weeks ago they an
nounced that Germany had been I'M
able to deliver more than she had
and that the deliveries for the future
must be greatly reduced.
There was much comment over the
fact that Great Britain had declined
to vote in favor of declaring Ger
many in default, in view of the ap-
preaching meeting of the premiers.
Although the deliveries of wood in
themselves are of less Importance
than other matters connected with
Preparations, the French point out that
today's decision is of real value to
Frances position on reparations,
since it reverses the order of things
and places Great Britain In an iso-
lated position on the issue.
Some of the French observers af-
fected to see in the vote an Indication
that France, Italy and Belgium may
present a united front before Great
Britain on the question of reparations
at the coming meeting here of the
premiers.
Berlin.-Negotiatio between Ger
many and France over the French
demand for the delivery of $4,000
tons of pure nitrogen on reparatious
account have reached a deadlock
Experts from both countries took
part in conferences on the question
during the past week at which it was
developed that the German govern
ment holds the delivery Of this guam
tity impossible, inasmuch as the Ter
man production Of nitrogen is already
far below the do aestic requirements.
French and German fertilizer inter
ests are expected to confer soon on
the possibility of a compromise.
1t is announced that the recent
strike at Ludwigshafen in che plant
which is one of Germany's biggest
nitrogen producers, caused such a
falling off in fertilizer production that
the result, it is calculated, will mean
nearly 100000 tons less grain from
German fields in the coming harvest.