Evening star., 1933-12-15
Ambassador de Labouiaye
Reports Inability to Pay
$22,2O0,926.
FOUR OTHER NATIONS
FAIL IN OBLIGATIONS
Treasury Should Have Received
$152,952,637 Today Instead
of Only $s,s9s, 1923.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

The French government today noti-
fed the United States that France
would not pay the war debt installment
of $22 200, ,926.54 due today, in a note
submitted to Acting Secretary of State
Phillips by Andre de Laboulaye, the
French Ambassador to Washington.
The French government explained in
its note that it Is unable to comply with
the request of the United States Treas
ury to meet its December obligation, be-
cause the French Chamber has not
changed its point of view regarding
these payments.
Last December the French Parlia-
ment passed resolution providing for
the non-payment of these installments
until final debt settlement was male
in accordance with the changes
brought about in the international debt
system by the reduction Of the German
reparation payments by 80 per cent.
Chamber Has Control.
1t is because of this resolution that
the Herriot cabinet, which favored the
fulf1llment Of Frances financial obliga-
tions pending final settlement, was
overthrown last year, and none of the
succeeding cabinets has been able to
change the point of view of the French
Chamber, which alone has control over
the nations finances.
The installment due by France this
year is the first repayment of the sums
postponed under the Hoover moratorium
OF 1881. The French Chamber decided
not to pay either the principal of the
debt nor the moratorium installment.
Together with France there are four
more nations which have not offered
even token" payment These are
Poland, Belgium. Esthonia and Hungary.
The other debtor nations have paid
more or less insignificant tokens "as a
recognition of their Indebtedness pend
ing final revision of the entire debt
problem"
Should Have Received SI52,952,637.
The United States Treasury should
have received today Sf52 ,952, ,637. ex-
elusive Of the Hoover moratorium
amounts. Instead of this sum, only
S8,898,l23 will be Forthcoming and these
payments will be made in paper dol
lars: that is to say. 38 cents less per
dollar than a year ago.
The smallest token payment" is
being made by Great Britain, which will
transfer to the Treasury the sum of
S7,500,000, instead of $117,670, ,765 which
was due today.
With the exception of Finland, which
like last June is paying her debt of
s229,623 in full, Italy has made the
largest payment of s1,00O,000 of the
81, ,906 which she owes. The token
rendered by Italy represents almost SO
per cent of the amount due
Czechoslovakia has offered us less
than 10 per cent, paying s150,000 of
the S1.682,813. Lithuania is paying
$4,000 of S105,47 and Latvia s8,500 of
$180. 0.706.
These payments reduce the grand total
of delayed" installments due to the
United States up to date to S3ol ,778, TAT.
All Have Best Intentions.
All the debtor nations which have
made token payments or have de-
faulted claim that they have the best
intentions of paying their debts, but
the suspension of the German repara-
ton payments has forced them into
the present position.
The note presented by the Belgian
Minister at Washington, Paul May, Is
typical of this frame of mind
when the Belgian government" he
stated, signed the Washington agree
ment of August 20, 1925, it did so be-
cause it had been assured by the
statements of the American repre-
sentatives themselves that the pay
ments due to the United States would
be amply covered by the payments of
Germany on reparations accounts BY
it's note Of December S, 1882, the Bel
gian government set forth the effects
on Belgium of the interruption of
German payments and the general
economic depression.
"In these circumstances the Belgian
government, while reafhrming its good
will and its desire to collaborate in a
CONTINUED on Page 6, Column -