Seward daily gateway., 1925-04-14
Radical Premier of :. France Bumps Into
 An Ungrateful Task
DEBTS AND SECURITY PROBLEM
 FOR FRENCH PREMIER
TWO MOST sTuPENDous MOVES
Herriott First Man of France To Un- dertake the Settlement Question
 Must Move Cautiously

PARIS, Apr. l0.-Premler Herrl0tt, the radical head of the French gov- ernment, is engaged in the ungrate- full task of seeking settlement of Frances two most stupendous prob lems-debts and security.
 According to all present plans, Herriot soon is going to London to confer with the heads of the British government on plans to solve these two most difficult of Europe's present multitude of rid dies. Along with Herriot, prob ably will go Finance Minister Gle mentel, to aid his chief in so far as debts will be concerned.
 Herriot is the first head of any French government that has made any real or even any very apparent effort to settle Frances gigantic war debts. Herriot made a start toward seeking a basis of negotia- tion for a settlement of Frances war debt to the United States. Now he is engaged in serious negotia- tions with Great Britain, for set clement and authorities state that he will make further efforts to reach an accord with America.
 Must Move Cautiously.
 However, Herriott must move eau tiously in trying to settle Frances debts. He has his preliminary opin- ion, back of which stands the pub lie opinion of the country. While no responsible leader in France ever repudiate any of her debts, France public opinion probably as whole always has been inclined to regard these debts as only part of the com mon effort of the Allies in the war, which France at least match ed with her greater human sacri fees.
 According to the latest official figures France is owed total of 15,133,074,000 French francs in war debts, which comprise obligations of Russia, Belgium, Serbia, Rou- mania, Greece, Poland, Czecho-Slo- vakia, Italy, Portugal, Esthonia, Lat via .Lithuania, Hungary and Austria.
 But France owes a total of s4,- 136,314,000 to the United States and total of 627,0O0,O0O pounds to Great Britain in war debts. In other words, France holds in obli- gations to her nowhere near enough to pay what she owes. and semi official spokesmen make n0 effort to conceal the view what is owed France is considered a doubtful as set.
 Further, French officials estimate that the Dawes plan has brought about reduction in the amount of German reparations due France from 69,0OO,O0O,OOO gold marks to about 21,OOO,o 100000 gold marks
 May Blaze Trail.
 AS in the case of debts, Herriot may blaze a new trail also in the question of European security. The head of no other French govern ment since the war has made much of an effort to affect a satisfactory solution of the security problem, with the exception of Briand. Tn the case of Briand, however, his for security pact with Lloyd George at Cannes brought about his immediate fall from power.
 Great Britain has taken the init iative at the present time to bring about an agreement on the security question. In the latest maneuvers for some sort of security pact, France apparently has been more or less inactive, at least at the start, for the present French gov ernment sincerely would prefer that the Geneva protocol go into ef- feet.
 Will the secret, informal negotia- tions comprising London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, etc., succeed in an agreement on European security? A real settlement of the security problem probably would prove as epochal as the Dawes separations settlement.
 The big question at the present time seems to be whether any agree ment on security which may be worked out will be restricted to a tripartite pact between France,