Evening star., 1932-07-03
Lausanne Held the
Stage During Week
BY A. G. GARDINER.

! LONDON, July 2.-This has been a
week of breathless excitement on the
European stage, ranging from the
cosmic drama on the shores of Lake
Geneva to the clash of American and
British tennis champions in the finals
| at Wimbledon, and from the Anglo
/ Irish crisis in regard to President De
Valeras refusal to pay snnuities to the
colossal conversion scheme which
| Chancellor of the Exchequer Chamber
| lain sprung upon the House of Com
mons Thursday night.
| But Lausanne still holds the center
of the stage.
| Wednesday was a day Of panic and
/ all seemed over except the funeral.
German Chancellor Won Papen's COM
munique lent color to the idea that
Germany had decided to torpedo the
conference by demanding liberation
from all the inequalities imposed upon
1t by the treaty of Versailles and the
! deepest depression reigned in London.
which was intensified by repercussion
in Paris.
BY night. however, the scare had
passed. Such crises are inevitable when
negotiations are conducted in secret
With an army of journalists lying In
watch to snatch at straws
The reaction from the incident rather
helped matters and Prime Minister
Ramsay MacDonald's tenacity, which
increasingly commands the recognition
and admiration of his colleagues,
brought the favorable issue written into
sight before the end of the week
Prolonged discussions on Thursday.
carried far into the night. sensibly mar
rowed the gulf between the French and
German positions. At the moment Of
cabling the world awaits the result of
French Premier Edouard Herriot's fiy-
ing visit to Paris. but 1t is generally felt
that the principle of settlement prac-
tically has been established and that
reparat1ons, as Europe has known them
for l3 tragic years, are almost ended.
* 4 <
One outstanding question is the deci-
sion on the final figure of the contribu-
ton which Germany is to pay in COM
plete liquidation of all claims. The
difference is between f1C0, 900 900, which
it is understood the Germans agreed to
pay, and f300, 900. 900. which the French
asked. Having brought the principals
SO nearly in sight of accommodation.
confidence is felt that MacDonald's
pertinacity will do the rest.
The question whether the contribu-
tion is to be regarded as a final pay
ment of tribute or as a voluntary con-
tribution by Germany to a general
reconstruction fund for the rehabiIita-
ton of the weaker states of Europe is
purely academic
The peril OF the situation IS not the
solution of the reparations problem but
Its bearing on cancellation of war debts.
Fear is expressed. from the remark of
Macdonald on Wednesday, that he is
contemplating a surrender to traditional
hot ho
many's payment Is dependent upon the
position America takes up in regard to
war debts. Nothing in this suspicion is
justified. Otherwise the settlement is
not final. but conditional. and would
have the effect of prolonging the vicious
uncertainty. escape from which Is the
whole purpose of the Lausanne Confer
ence. On this point the suggestion
which emanates from Paris-that
tlon OF reparations preferring that they
be kept alive on paper-has caused
much disquiet.
A clean slate and finality in regard
to reparations is the acid test of s,,c-
cess or failure at Lausanne. and the
reintroduction of the doetrinH that
Germany's contribution must rise or
fall according to Americas demands is
fatal to success. -
British opinion is firm in the con-
VlcLion that the task of Europe is to
MAKE N clean sweep of its own stable
In pursuit of that policy Britain e
prepared. If France remains ohd,1ra+s
70 cancel the debts of those who SIR,
fenoer their claims on Germany.
As tne Manchester Guardian nuts II
ene cnlef end of European policy is to
11e pLesene an unanswerable case Ia the
Snlteo states which will overcome the
u.sciAIation of Congress and hiring
sasnerlca into general economic reset
s,snent. When one part Of the war
Usonssllons Is cancelled. the rest cannot
fcopyriRht, ia3al