Evening star., 1923-05-07
FULL DEBT DEMANDED.
France and Belgium Criticize
Vague Offer of Germany.

have categorically refused to con-
slider Germany's recent offer Of thirty
billion marks as reparations.
The refusal is contained in a joint
note sent the allies and delivered to
the German embassies in Paris and
Brussels last evening.
The note criticiZes point by point
the German offer, and in doing SO
announces the determination of
france and Belgium to be paid in full
and not to consider any proposal until
German resistance in the Ruhr ceases.
Surprise is expressed at the Ger
man pretensions. which the note says.
would mean tearing up the Versailles
treaty. In the final paragraph it re-
marks:
The German government. if it will
only look into Its own heart, will not
be astoniShed that such q bargain
should be refused"
After mentioning number OF OBJ
jections to the German proposals. the
note continues:
Not Fourth Of Debt.
"The French and Belgian govern
ments should add that the present
proposition of Germany is altogether
unacceptable from several points of
view. Germany's offer does not repre-
sent even one-fourth of the sum fixed
by the reparation commission and
recognized by Germany as the amount
of her debt to the allies: France and
Belgium have declared on several
occasions. and they are led to repeat
now. that they cannot accept a re-
duction of their own shares and:
them with interallied debts. they are
obliged to collect the remainder to
repair the terrible disaster the Ger
man invasion inflicted upon the two
countries"
The note lays strong emphasis not
only on the inadequacy of the money
offer, but condemns the vague terms
and rejects the idea of an interna-
tional commission replacing the repa-
final tribunal. 1t also emphasizes
German failure to offer security that
her obligations. as enunciated in the
new note. would be met. remarking
that under the German plan. with all
it's shortcomings. it would amount
"once again only to some words on
paper" The note denies the truth
Of the German assertion that France
and Belgium violated the treaty by
entering the Ruhr, but, on the con-
trary, asserts that the Germa.- offer
in several essentials Is incompatible
with the treaty. The document sets
forth how the treaty procedure was
followed in legal way by fixing
reparationS, which Germany formally
accepted, and adds:
ObIigntiOns Unmet.
"Since then she has not kept the en-
torium was granted her. but she has
not even fulfilled her reduced obliga-
tions."
France and Belgium, it Is pointed
out, hoped for pacific cooperation In
the Ruhr by the industrialists. but
Berlin prevented this, for 'it was not
the population but the German gov
ernment that willed and organized
resistance"
The note further says: "The treaty
an act Of hostility any penalty i'm
posed after the reparation commission
has declared her in default 1t re-
cites phases of German resistance and
then repeats the declarations: "The
Belgian and French governments can
not take into consideration any Ger
man proposal so long as this resist
ance lasts"
1t is set forth that France has ad-
vanced one hundred billion paper
Belgium has advanced fifteen billion
and there remains for each of them.
besides their pensions. more than half
of their damages to repair"
Justice Demanded.
| '"The economic interest of France
! and Belgium, the economic interest of
| the whole world and justice itself"
ravaged countries shall not be con-
| demned to ruin thems elves longer to
promote enrichment of their debtors"
The note refers to German building
in the Ruhr and elsewhere, while the
devastated regions. suffer. and declares:
Belgium and France are resolved not
to suffer this iniquity."
| 1t analyses the thirty billions mark
offer. quoting the German notes
1 phrase that part of the sum is "clas-
| tic" and remarks: THE figure you in
dicate would. according to the Ger
man government. be the maximum.
and It would be easy for Germany
again to put it into controversy be-
| fore it became reality"
Recall German Protest.
| The note recalls the German pro-
tests against the uncertainty OF repa-
rations as damaging to her credit,
| asserting: Germany said and re-
peated that what precented her from
keeping her engagements was that
she did not know the final figure.
Now she reduces the fixed part of her
debt more than three -fifths, reduces
the indeterminate part more than
| seven-eighths. but retains the inde-
terminate feature"
| It asks If the allies have not some
reason for believing that Germany
may again revert to her original con-
tention and declare that only the
hxed part Of her debt can be had.
under the pretext that she does not
know her total obligation. It is
pointed out that twenty billion gold
marks payable in 1927 means q four
year moratorium, and that that sum,
discounted at per cent. would be
worth only 15,s20, 100000.
These uncertain propositions,
reservations that will enable them to
be nut in question in q few months,