Evening star., 1931-12-22
BY LOUIS p. LOCHNER.

copyright 1881. by the Associated PressJ
BERLIN, December 22-1n one of
the most difficult of the postwar Yeas,
Cermany's Republican government be-
came a virtual tatorship under
series of emergency DEGREES and her
statesmen ged in a ney brand of
man-to-man diplomacy which took
them to all the capitals Of Europe for
direct contact with their peers abroad.
But in the end the nation was obliged
to for for creation of committee, as
provided by the Young plan, to con-
slider the whole reparations and debt
problem.
Chancellor Bruening and Dr. Julius
Curttus, his foreign minister, went to
Paris. Ramsay Macdonald and Arthur
Henderson came to Berlin from London
and found that Col. Henry l.. Stimson,
American Secretary Of State, had been
there before them
Meanwhile Adolf Hitler and other
opposition leaders had vainly concen-
trated their efforts on voting the Prus-
sian Diet out of existence, the plebiscte
on August 10 coming while the chan
cellor and DR.. Curtius were on the way
home from Rome.
Rains Damage Crops.
To make matters worse, heavy rains
damaged the grain crop and 1t became
necessary to make extensive purchases
of wheat from the American Farm
Board.
Trouble was brewing in other quar-
tiers, and on the eve Of meeting of
the League of Nations Council DR.. Cur
titus announced the government had
withdrawn from the projected Austro-
German customs union, a decision which
eventually forced his retirement from
the cabinet.
Things look safe enough now to re-
open the stock exchange, but on the
first day millions of marks were whit
tied off German security values.
Two weeks later England suspended
the gold standard and German export
ers knew this meant new tariff bar
rierS.
Up from Paris came Premier Pierre
Laval and Aristide BRAND to organize
Franco-German commission designed
to figure ways of cooperation between
the two nations for their mutual COM
mercial benefit. That commission is
still considering its program.
Or. Curtius Resigns.
Early in October DR.. Curtius resigned
and almost Immediately the entire cab
met was shaken up, with the chancellor
himself taking over the post of foreign
minister.
He withstood barrage of non conf
dence motions, then found it necessary
to adjourn the Reichstag until Febru-
ary. The next day the Reichsbanks
Coverage of gold and foreign exchange
dropped to 28.6 per cent.
Efforts turned directly upon a re-
opening OF the entire question of repa-
rations and debts, public and private
Under the Young plan Germany re-
quested the calling of an advisory COM
mittee to consider the problem. Short
term credits already had been extended
until March, but responsible German
of1icials served notice that the heavy
could not be sustained.
When the Advisory Committee met
at Basel the German delegation was
prepared to insist that private credits
be given priority over reparations pay
ments. France resisted.
Unable to Pay.
The committee agreed that the Ger
man railways, responsible for payment
OF the unconditional annuities" to
France, would be unable to meet the
installment next year because of greatly
decreased revenues.
France contended that the growing
German export surplus would cover the
payments if the railways could not.
But that surplus Germany argued, was
more the result of reduced imports than
Of any increase in the German export
market.
With the Advisory Commission still
in session and an international repa-
tions conference in prospect, Germany
closes the year waiting and hoping for
relief long deferred.