Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-06
DEBT ACCORD SEEN
WITHIN 48 HOURS
Conferences to Be Resumed
Tonight, With Agreement
Possible at That Time.
Continued From First Page)


the time of this afternoons meeting
as follows:
The American Government seems to
! have recognized that the French pro-
posals are we'll founded as regards,
| first, the principle of payment OF the
| total unconditional annuity by Ger
many, and, second. the methods where
| by the guarantee fund provided by the
! Young plan in case of a regular mora
! tcrium, might be constituted.
May Let Experts Decide.
The United States is willing to dele
gate the deliveries in kind issue to a
commission of experts, with the under
standing that its decision will be in
harmony with the spirit of the Presi-
dents proposal that there should be a
real and entire suspension Of repara-
tions payments by Germany during one
year.
Negotiations between Secretary Mel
lon. Ambassador Edge and Pierre
Flandin, the French finance minister,
so far have failed to produce an I'M
derstanding on this point.
AS the Americans understand it, the
French position Is that France accepts
the idea of the commission, but on con-
dition that its decision will be along
French lines. France believes it Is
impossible to cancel contracts already
made for deliveries in kind.
Mr.. Mellon and Ambassador Edge
have no desire to become involved in
the deliberations of any commission Of
experts, believing that membership in
such a commission should be confined
to the Young plan signatories and Ger
many but they find it difficult to
accept in advance any certainty that
the commissions decision would favor
continuance of payments in kind.
A Government spokesman said today
that Ciermany's assurance in her note
to the United States that she would
not employ the suspended annuities for
ornaments was not as forceful as it
might be. inaSmuch as a budget pro-
viding for several battleships already
has been voted.
Visit Called OFF.
The minister of the navy charged In
the French Senate last week that Ger
many had provided for a navy 25 per
cent stronger than is permitted by the
Versailles Treaty.
Secretary Mellon and Ambassador
Edge were forced to forego a proposed
visit to a friend of Edges in Normandy
yesterday in order to study document
which was forwarded to the President
in the morning.
Premier Laval escaped to his country
home during the day to examine his
herd of prize cows, while Foreign Min
lister BRAND motored down into Nor
mandy to fish at Cocherel. Minister
of Finance Flandin and Minister of
the Budget Pietrie spent the day in
their Offices clearing up routine busi-
ness which had been left in suspense
during the negotiations.
In its leading editorial the newspaper
LIE Temps was hopeful that the end Of
the negotiations was in sight. 1t de-
clared that France had gone as far as
possible in cancellations, trying to give
flu effect to the Hoover proposal and
at the same time to safeguard the in
tereSt of Germany's creditors.
''TCo many powerful reasons impose
upon the Washington government the
necessity of making Hoovers initiative
succeed to allow the supposition that
Emergencies on secondary points might
yet compromise the results acquired in
principle" the editorial said.
LIE Temps rather doubted whether 1t
would be necessary to call at confer
ence of Young plan Signatories, saying
this would present serious inconven-
fences. 1t added that the task, which
would be purely of technical nature,
would better be intrusted to treasury
experts or accomplished by direct con-
versations between the governments.
The Journal des Debats took pessi-
mistic view of the situation. 1t said
the accord would only serve to open up
a period of difficulties, during the
course of which the Young plan will be