Evening star., 1926-04-27
SENATE APPROVES
TWO MORE PACTS
Latvian and Esthonlan Debt
Settlements Ratified-0nly
Two Now Left.

The I,atvian debt settlement was
approved by the Senate today a1ter
debate of less than an hour ana
dalf, The vote was 50 to ~.
After half an hours debate the SEN
ate then approved the Esthonlah
agreement, funding d total OIL Sl9'-
$50. 900.
Both will now be effective when the
President affixes his signature. 1he
only two agreements now remaining
to be acted oh by the Senate are those
for Rumania and Czechoslovakia.
Senator Smoot, Republican, Utah, a
member of the Debt Comnlsslon'
nnened the debate for the LatVlan
settlement. and the brunt of the op-
uosition fight again Was taken Dy
senator Reed. Democrat, Missouri,
who declared the pending agreement
not only wasteful, but "idiotlc.
Explains I.atvian Debt.
Senator Smoot explained the So
ono 600 I.atvian settlement i'll detail.
Taking cogniZance of remarks con-
cerning IIatvia's payment OF her
debts to France and to Norway, the
Utah Senator said that both had been
paid in deprecated currency. The
French debt of 11,S11 ,372 francs was
liquidated at a cost of less than $4O0,-
900, he said, and the Norwegian in
debtedness of 6.73S,127 kronen was
discharged by paying 100000.
Two Problems Eliminated.
With approval of the Belgian agree
ment by a decisive vote late yesterday
on the heels of its ratification of
the Italian pact, the Senate cleared
it's calendar of the two settlements
which have aroused the most vigorous
objections thus far.
Senate action on the Belgian debt,
as was the case with the Italian agree
ment, advanced them to the point
where only the Presidents signature
was necessary to put them into effect.
His approval was a foregone conclu
sion, and the Brussels and Rome gov
ernments already have ratified the
agreements. The House had acted on
all of them before they were sent tC
the Senate.
Negotiations for settlement of the
$4,000 900 900 French debt apparently
hinged chiefly on the outcome OF
Ambassador Berenger'S request to his
government for further instructions
The situation was given consideration
Yesterday by Premier BRAND and his
advisers, with indications that little
or no delay was to be expected.
Waiting on Berenger.
Frances plan to start payments al
$25, 100000 a year appeared to be the
main stumbling block encountered by
the American Debt Commission il
considering the Ambassadors proposal
The CaillauX mission last Summer
offered to begin the annual install
ments at SAC. 900 900, and the Ambassa
dor was asked to revise the new pro
gram along lines more acceptable tC
the Americans. who, meanwhile
turned their attention to renewed
negotiations with Jugoslavian COM
mission.
Ambassador Berenger Immediately
communicated with his government
and the likelihood of fresh instruc.
tions was disclosed in Paris last night
after a conference between Premier
BRAND and the finance committee of
the chamber of deputies. With the
idea of linking French payments and
German reparations virtually elimi
mated by the unwillingness of the
American commission to accept such
a plan, the exchange problem has
come to the front to concern the depu
ties. They were informed by the
premier that means were being sought
to maintain payments to be made to
Great Britain and the United States
in harmony with Frances capacity
to pay.
Mellon i'm Conference.
The American Commission held a
brief session today and decided not
to meet again until Ambassador
Berenger has received further in
structions from Paris. Meanwhile
Secretary Mellon conferred with a
representative of the Jugoslay mis-
sion which is endeavoring to reach
an agreement on that countrys wal
debt
Although Ambassador Berenger has
been given full authority by France
to negotiate funding agreement, II
was indicated today by Secretary
Mellon that some new elements hat
entered into the discussions which
probably would require the Ambassa
dor to confer further with his gov
ernment.