The Washington times., 1929-04-20
j. s. HOPEFUL or
PREPARATIONS
ATTY
b. GEORGE r. HOLMES


By GEORGE r. HOLMES
washington regards the repaRap
tions deadlock at Paris as serious.
but by no means hopeless.
When the experts first gathered
at Paris some weeks ago to attempt
TO fix definitely how much Ger.
many Is to pay for losing the war
It was freely predicted there would
be several deadlocks before agree
ment could be had.
"A crisis II always reached In any
conference" sagely OBJ
served one authority today. 1T
was true I'm the Dawes negotiations,
In the peace conference itself and
in virtually every international
gathering since the war. including
the washington arms conferenc.
Means are usually foud to circum-
vent these deadiocks, ana undoubt-
edIy some means win be found At
Paris. even though there may be 4
temporary cessation Of the meet
ings."
IMkBSsE0AD AWbCEGBb
Beset by domestic problems az It
a. the new Administrations Is never.
theless following the course Of
events at Paris with close attention.
Washington'n interest in the sue.
cess Of the negotiations there IL
three.fold:
1, settlement Of the ten.year con-
troversy over reparAtions undoubt-
edly would lead to French ratifica.
ton of the Mellon-B -Berenger debt
agreement, involving the payment
by France OF her $4.0O0,O00 war
debt to the United States Trasury.
=. 1t would stabilize international
commerce ana finance and insure
the continuation Of the great flow
Of American goods abroad.
3. It would insure repayment to
the United States OF the $500, 900, 900
spent In maintaining the American
occupational forces in the Rhine
land.
France Owes S4oe, go 900
This last constitutes the only
direct stake the United States has
in the reparations mess. The first
two interests, however, are far.
more important.
Administration officials wouH
like to see the controversy settled
by August !. On that date, France
Is due to pay the United States
Treasury lump sum OF $500, 900 900
for surplus American Army goods
sold to France after the Armis-
tice, which goods, incidentally, were
invoiced at nearly q billion and =
half dollars.
Unless an agreement can be
reached with Germany before that
date Il is questionable whether
France can-or will-pay. Whether
she does or doesn't. Il is more o.
less certain there viii be flare-up
Of Francc-American feeling.
II she pays. there win be howl
so up from within France, and
more shouts Of "Shylock' across
the Atlantic. If France defaults
on that payment, there win be q
lot of grumbling in the American
Congress, where resentment has
long been growing over Frances
failure to ratify the Mellon. .BerengeT
agreement. That agreement pro-
vided extremely lenient terms for
repayment Of the $4,00O,000 war
debt proper.
In either case a situation would
be created which the diplomats cali
unfortunate.
Sympathy With Germans
While administration officials are
an outward attitude Of
strict neutrality in the present dead
lock, not so with members Of Con-
gress.
There is no question that SYM
pathy with Germany is more pre-
dominant In Congress than with
France.
Senator William e. Borah R.) OF
Idaho. chairman of the Foreign Re-
lations Committee, for instance, de-
clared he thought Germans offer at
Paris was reasonable,
When the sum that Germany has
already paid in cash and kind and
the losses she suffered in territories
and otherwise, when everything 10
taken into consideration, feel that
her offer was fair and just
Considerable pressure has had to
be exerted from the White House
and State Department several times
during the past few years to pre-
vent the Senate from speaking it's
mind" on the unratified French
debt.
II France should now default on
the August l payment, with the
Mellon. .Berenger agreement still un.
ratified, there probably win be no
holding 'em.
PARIS, April 20 Q.N.sJ-Ths
Of the German reparations
problem still hung in the balance
today.
The death of Lord Revelstoke,
British delegate to the conference
shelvei definite action until the
next plenary session, Monday, and
furnished a respite which brought
with it a thread like hope for an
agreement.
DIR. Hjalmar Schacht, head Of the
German delegation, is reported to
have assumed 1. more concilkAf0ry
attitude. He held conferences with
Owen d. Young, chairman 0e The
experts committee, and other dele
gates. These conferences are 10 be
continued today, and from them It
is hoped some way out OF the
present maze may be found.
The French press continues @ aA.
tack the German delegate ViolenAly.
PARIS, April 20 q. n. S.).--Bs-
meath a surface OF pessimism and
efforts were underway
here today to get the rsparation
conference back upon its feet 30
that it would not be dissolved eOn.
pletely next week.