The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-09
GERMAN NOTE |S SERIOUS PROBLEM
 TO NEW PREMIER
Anti-French Group Struggles With Opponents To Con-
 troI Baldwin
By RALPH H. TURNER {By Leased Wire to The Age-Hernid)

LONDON, June 5.-Premier Bald win faces the problems of all his predecessors in dealing with the new German separations note.
 England would like to answer the note, making 1t at least the basis or future negotiations. France refuses to have anything to do with German offers that do not include the surren- der of the policy of passive resist apce.
 Two groups demand Baldwin's sup port-First, the business section that desires consideration and lentency for Germany to prevent forcing a German collapse and throwing world trade out of joint; second, the politi- cal faction, represented by Lord Rathermore and The Daily Mail, that opposes any conciliatory tactics with ex-enemies and demands the up- holding of the entente before every thing.
 Would Junk Alliance.
 One group. bitter over the French irreconcilable attitude, would junk the alliance, and even speaks of an inevitable future Anglo German en- tente. The second would throw the nations whole weight behind contin- uance of the wartime union with France. interpreted In strongest terms.
 Self-pledged to continue the pol icies of Bonar Law, including nonin- tervention by Britain in the Ruhr muddle, Baldwin must either make decisive anti-German or anti-French stroke, or else must straddle the question. He must either line up be- hind France in a general allied note flatly squashing the German terms or must oppose France by holding out for the previous policy of separate allied answers to the German note. May StraddIe Issue.
 A straddle can be accomplished by a separate British note, not condemn ing the terms utterly but insisting on something more tangible. This would please the British faction, but ready touchy on the question of what she terms England's failure to sup port her ally.
 Belgium has aligned herself be- hind the French stand. Italy is as yet an unknown factor. Premier land was prepared to break with France, might throw his influence in favor of Germany. French circles, however, consider it certain that he will back the French stand. Note Is Improvement.
 England considers the new Ger man note marked improvement over previous offers It will be dis cussed at a cabinet meeting Monday. Meanwhile informal conversations between all powers are under way, the question being: Whether the French attitude of ignoring the note shall be followed; whether a united allied reply shall be made, or wheth- CT the allies shall reply separately each according to its own private attitude.
 The British hone that the Eitua- tion may be simplified by the Ger mans withdrawing from their pas- sive resistance stand. France may request England, in any case, to join in note urging this.
 LORD ROBERT CECIL
 Is NOW IN FRANCE
 PARIS, June s.-France, Great Britain and Belgium have begun diplomatic exchanges of opinion re- garding the latest German repara- tions note.
 deavor to reconcils.rhe Anglo French viewpoints. so as to permit joint allied reply.
 Lord Robert Cecil. now in Paris, is understood to have been desig- mated to present Britains viewpoint 10 Premier Poincare and to seek a basis for an Anglo-French agree ment.
 Belgian diplomats are also in close touch with the French foreign office. French official circles believe Belgium will not waver from her support of the French policy, but will endeavor to swing England into line behind the demand that all passive resistance in the Ruhr cease before further negotiations.
 Poincare remains completely op- posed to any se/Jus consideration of the German offer.