Evening star., 1925-09-24
SAYS FRANCE MUST
| PAY FOR MIRAGE"
Political Expert Declares
Failure to Heed 1919 Warn
ing Causes Crisis Now.

\
OF Inflammation Of Paris. one of
Frances foremost journalists. has :
Just arrived In the United States
to report the approaching debt
/ settlement negotiations for his
newspaper. N. Reache Is regarded
by American newspaper men in
Paris as the French journalist
closest in the con fdcnce of Joseph
| CdiUdur. minister of finance, 1rho
Is on his tcdy to America as head
OF the French mission. The follo,c-
ing dispatch, ,oritten exclusively
for the Consolidated Press Asso-
ctGtton hU M. Reoche. may be re-
0drded o1s an accurate reflection OF
NJ. Cdilldur's pieus.
BY GERVILLE REACHE.
| NEW YORK, September 24.-The
French mission to adjust Frances
debt to the United States comes to
America alone. 1t will not mention
| In It's conversations with the Ameri-
| can commission the proposed London
agreement. But obviously, when dis
! cussing frances resources and pay.
ing capacity, the French delegates
cannot forget that it's other creditor,
Great Britain. has just said: Look
out. If you pay Uncle Sam proper
Itionately more than you offer to pay
me, III ask for more. too
n Nevertheless the United States Is
4 going to deal with a debtor who
! ielther blackmails nor threatens: who
\ speaks entirely in her own name and
not on behalf of any one else what
ever.
Few Frenchmen understand whv
sentimental considerations Should be
iald aside i'm the coming negotiations,
out government officials and others
We'll informed believe that the present
situation came about through serious
plumbers committed in the past 1t
IS absolutely certain that II. in 1919.
1t had been known that France would
never obtain anything for repairing
hfH devastated regions, but that every
penny received from Germany would
80 TO pay her allies, nobody in the
World, not even in America. would
have considered this a just and euui-
liable solution.
il Preferred Mirage.
Eut today that aspect of the prob
lem is completely changed. since
france has rejected every opportunity
she had to obtain an equitable settle
ment. When the American experts
In 1919 urged France to accept a fixed
indemnity from Germany Of $50 900
100000. and American financiers offer
ed to discount this indemnity rapidly,
the French government of the time
declined. preferrinC trather than this
silnple and rational offer, the mira ge
or an impoSsfbly colossal indemnify
Later-in April. 1922-the French
HEovernment again refused to follow
the path pointed out by shrewd finan-
clers. Once more, in January. 1923,
France had an opportunity to discuss
/ an interesting offer from Great Britain.
| But the French government preferred
| the futile experience OF the Ruhr.
Today the United States and Great
Britain can say to France: "You would
not listen to US. You went ahead on
what you owe US: Let us see what
you can pay us after adopting that
admirable financial policy of yours
Burden Is Heavy.
What NJ. Caillaux's brief case con.
tains cannot be told in a few lines.
but some idea of 1t can be had from
| the labor accomplished at Paris by the
| finance minister during the pa ct
| three months.
! On July l.. he put through Parlia-
rnent budget of 33.137 900 900 francs,
representing % per cent of the ma
| tional revenue for 1925.
J He proposed budget of 81. .on0, 900 600
! francs for 1925, so per cent of the
| national revenue. tTo these figures
must be added the local budeetsD
! He offered Great Britain an an
nuity. to begin in four years. Of
flo 900 ooo
Will NJ. Caillauy offer the American
! debt commission further annual pay
| ment of ss0.0oo.00 to begin within a
fixed time? That is his personal
secret. But if he does, there is no
| finance minister in the world who can
boast of having laid so heavy bur.
den on his country's taxpayers in so
| short a time.
NJ. Caillaux will bring figures con-
| cerning Frances income, her trans
/ portation facilities and in fact every
thing that relates to her paying ca
pacity. He will be equipped with all
the figures and arguments.
A careful, objective study of trade
| balances-visible and invisible, be-
| tween France and America will have
| to be made by technical experts
| Some of these matters are exceedingly
(, complex. They include not only i'm
ports and exports between the two