Evening star., 1931-06-23
RESULT
HINGES ON FRENCH
Refusal Would Give 'HUncIe
Francois" Americas Old
Place as ShyIock.
By Cable to The Star.

By Cable to The Star.
LONDON, England, June 23.-what
win France do2
That Is the question which, from the
government, the foreign ONCE down,
makes every one guess in London to-
day. The ofhcial opinion and the con-
sensus can be said to be that France
no matter how difdcult it might be
should accept President Hoover's holi-
day proposal as quickly as possible In
order that Its tonic value" might not
be lost.
May Be "UncIe Francois"
Uncle Sam is no longer Uncle Shy
lock In London today-it might be
Uncle Francois! President Hoover's act
is hailed as a master stroke Of both
international and local politics.
It Is doubted If for internal policy
he could let France of with part sac
rifice when America Is making such q
huge announcement. Universal opinion
is that despite the fact that 1t is only
a 101-to-100 shot, France will have to
accept Internationally and that moth
ing can stop President Hoover's holi-
day"
The London Times, the Evening Post,
DAlC OAAJ 4C1CBAdHIAp Al INV aAA 1AAN
conservative newSpaperS-with the ex-
ception Of Lord Rothermere's Press
subscribe to this view.
Hesitancy Dismays.
The Daily Herald, semi-government
organ. expresses dismay that the French
government hesitates and might use
the power Of refusal to cooperate. thus
looming the Hoover plan to futility.
1t says:
"That President Hoover is asking
France to make an immediate pecu-
mary sacrifice the world recognizes.
Yet, like the American sacrifice, it is
a sound business proposal. It Is rather
an investment than a sacrihce-an in
vestment from which the French ma
ton will reap q very adequate return. )"
German Refusal Seen.
The whole question, Of course, hangs
on whether France intends to make
Germany carry on with the uncondi-
tional part Of the Young payments.
The feeling here is that the Germans,
with the assurance they received at
ing of their precarious position, now
terriflcally reinforced by President
Hoover's action from the United States
and backed by virtually unanimous
world opinion, will simply refuse to
carry on paying France the uncondi-
tionaI Young payments. Furthermore,
that II any German government did
try it, the German people would un-
horse it at once.
Lord Rothermere's press is alone in
its outright demand that France should
not be asked to forego these payments,
although today'S London Financial
Times, representing conservative British
business opinion, asserts that the loss
of more than 500, ,00o, 600 would strain
French national finances and that
clearly some difference may have to be
made between the conditional and the
unconditional payments for the prac-
ticable application Of the Hoover plan.
Fear Disarmament Revenge.
One Of the fears expressed here is
that If France is forced against her will
to join unreservedly In acceptance of
the Hoover plan, she may take her re-
venge at the forthcoming disarmament
conference next year.
This Is regarded here as an extremely
serious possibility and the strong en-
ephasis the British place on the need
for early disarmament and agreements
settling Europe'S political unrest and
allowing the nations to get to business
with free minds should at no time be
forgotten.
The British loss under the Hoover
suggestion apparently would be greater
than was at first thought, as Australia
and the other dominions will probably
ask relief from the war loans made by
the mother country, Australia in par
ticular, and the British. therefore, stand
to lose about $48, 10000
(Copyright, 1s3l.)