Evening star., 1925-02-11
PROPERTY RETURN
BILL VIEWS VARY
President Sees Difficulties
in Course Proposed
by Borah.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

President Coolidge sees difficulties
in the way of returning at once
property seized from Germans and
held since the war. Senator Borah,
chairman of the committee on foreign
relations, has introduced a bill pro-
yiding for the return of the property
within SO days after the passage of
the measure.
While Mr. Coolidge is not to he
represented as having minutely ex-
| amined the Borah bill. he is, on the
other hand. convinced that certain
obstacles will make the immediate
return OF the German property mad
; visa bic.
The situation has been to some ex-
| tent complicated by the agreement
| signed at Paris recently with refer
ence to the American share in the
/ payments under the Dawes plan. The
latter does not include as among
| Germany's assets the property held
| in America, but the fear is expressed
at the White House that a controversy
| may arise as to the disposition of the
| property when once it gets back to
/. German hands The allies might set
| up claim to share in 1t and in
| stead, therefore. of returning the
property to its rightful owners which
has been the traditional policy Of
the American Government, the goods
| may simply be in effect transferred
to the allies.
| Wsuia Raise Controversy.
Such a step would raise a contro-
versy IN other directions For
American citizens who have claims
/ against Germany amounting to bout
$500, 900, 900 would be ioath 10 see
German property held here since the
| war turned over 10 the allies 10
satisfy the claims of their own
nationals.
American claimants have had the
idea that the German property was a
sort of assurance that they would be
paid out of it's proceeds if the German
government defaulted on its pledge
to pay American claims. Under the
| treaty of Berlin. Germany agreed to
reimburse her nationals for property
held by America, but Germany is not
her own. financial master and the al
lies have SO much to say about Ger
man fiscal policy that it might well
happen that German citizens would
not get their money for property
! seized here. This is hardship which
America in anxious to avoid, for the
| United States has always been proud
of the fact that private property is
respected. War claims have been
made only against governments and
not against lnolNlduals.
Delay Opposed Here.
To pay American citizens. however
| it will be necessary for Congress to
| appropriate funds or authorize q bond
| issue, because II IS not certain whe ther
| the share of the Dawes payments
| is going to be available in large
| enough quantities to satisfy Ameri-
can claimants. The latter would not
| be happy to wait 90 years for their
share of the Dawes payments.
| IL Congress. therefore, is asked to
spend $500. 100000 on the one hand
| and at the same time is asked
| return to German citizens property
valued a about $500, ,000, 900 the Amer
! ican taxpayer is likely to be aroused
| over the new interest charges in
volved. And there is likely 70 be
no end of controversy If the Ger
man government or the allies dis
pose OF the property held here when
once il is returned.
| What the United States wants is
| an assurance that American claims
! will be satisfied. that the property
held here will go back to its right
full owners and that the allies will
| not interfere in the arrangement and
insist on share in the German
property returned by America
AdHsnistered EmcientIy.
| All this takes time. Congress has
the authority to give back the Ger
man property tomorrow, but in view
or the dimculties. the view of Pres
ident Coolidge is likely to prevail
and the property continued in trus-
teeship until solution is found AS
II Is, the property is not suffering
for its being administered efficiently
by the ONCE of the alien property
custodian, presided over by Col.
! Thomas w. Miller. Upward of $4,000
| accounts are taken care of. and it is
said to be physically impossible TO
| liouidate them in three years let
alone so days, as proposed
Also the Supreme Court OF the
| United States has under considera-
tion some important cases involving
a vital principle with respect to
those properties that have been sold
at inadequate prices but under emer
| gency situations. The court is ex-
pected to solve points of this char
acter in the next few months. hut
until then Congress would probably
not wish to act. The whole thing
Will go over until q new session of
Congress. either in the Autumn or
December of this year.