USVI Public Records

Document text

gan stirring up provocative agitation it the neighbouring street against the police, and the trade union leaders who were preserving crder. 7The police declare that when they tried to suppress this counter-demonstration a shot was fired from the crowd and the police then re- sorted to the use of blackjacks. This brought a shower of stones and bits of glass from the disturbers, who in turn began using blackjacks and also knives. After vainly trving to disperse the crovd by shooiing into the air, the police shot directly at the rioters. Mounted police and other reinforcements soon after- wards succeeded in restoring order. Berlin, June 7.h. —The texr of the Ger- man amendatory reparation is as follows: After full and careful consideration Ger- many has stated her sincere belief as to her capacity to make payment for repara- tions. The German Government would not be acting fairly and it wouid not bring the real solution any nearver, if, for the sake of temporary alleviation of its politi- cal difffculties, it were to promise more than in its judgment the German people can with the utmost effort perform. Nevertheless the question of Germany’s capacity is one of fact on which different opinions ean be he!d and the German Government admits ihe difßculty of ar- riving at any secure estimate in the pre- sont conditions. For this reason it has already offered to accept the deci- <ion of an impartial international body as to the amount and metkod of pay- ment. (ermany can give no stronger proof than this of her determination to discharge the reparation. The . il Government also is ready to supply all available information necessary in form- ing a reliable judgment of Germany’s capacity to pay. It will, if it wishes, throw open to inspection all its financi- al records and furnish any details that may be desired concerning the resources of German industry and business. The German Government has made reference to t e flotation of big loans in order that large capital sums might acerue at the earliest possible moment to those powers to whieh reparations are due. Should loans on a great s-ale prove imprac icable for a time it is ready to substitute a scheme of annuities Since the Allied Govern- ments have attached importance to Ger- many’s furnishing forthwith precise in- dications as to the kind and mode of guarantees which she is in a posi in to offer, the German Gcvernment pro- poses the tol owing as part of & definite reparations settlement. A. the railway situation of the Reich, with all its ap- purtenances, will be detached from the other state property and held as a separate fund, the accounts of which o Would be independent of the general financial admimstraiion and under 1S gwn ¢ pirol, ard obiigations \_wll be is- sved upon the amount of ten biilion gold marks, with a airzct first charge cn the assets of this admiaistraiion and carry- ini interest at live percent as from July 51 LURUIx aViy . Ist 1927, thus securing an annual pay- . ment of five hundred billion gold marks. - (B). 1o secure a further annual payment | of five hundred million marks, as from - July Ist 1927, the German Government . will at once subject the entire busiress . industry, banking trade, traffic and agi- ' culture of the country. to a guarantee in ~ the forn of afirst mortgage of ten bil- - lion gold marks on real estate whether . buildings, dwelling., lands or forests. | Thne annuities of five rundred millioa - gold marks will be levied either indirect- ! ly in the form of a general tax on all | classes of property, or on the specific . opjects of the .mortgave. (C). In addi- . tion, the German Governnment will pledge | as security the customs on impwts of consumable articles other ti 'n necessa- . ries, the excise on tobacco, beer, wine . and sugar with the receipts of the spirits " monopoly. On the average of the vears - preceding the war, these customs and ex- . cise receipts reached about eight hundred million marks. Their yield in gold marks ' has now fallen to one quat.er, on ac- - count of the loss of teriitory and popu- latitn and reduced conswmaption. With ; the recovery of the economie activity | of Germany, it will automatiially in- . ~ crease. In conclusion, the German Gov- i ernment feels that it must lay emphasis on the following, in a matter so vast and complicated. Real progress cannot be made by the exchange of written docu- ments. But can only be achieved by word of mouth at the conference table. Germany’s capacity to pay depends on the character of the settlemenc as a whole. A method of payment can on- lyv be arranged in direet consultation with those who are to receive payment. The guarantees can only he worked out in detail with the ecallaboration of those w om they are intended to serve, for the solution of all these questions, oral discussion is essential. Germany ar knowledges her liability t~ “Lanc (cpu.o tion. 7IL. ueiman Government repeats " request that a conierence be sumn- moned to decide how ilt may best di-- charge it. Paris, June 7Tth.—The German repara- tions ff r, elaborated in the note deliv- ered to the Entente Allies today, re- mains ¢n rely unacceptable to France, it was deciared in Government circies tonight. It makes no appreciable ad- vance over the previcus offers and France cannot even discuss it with Ger- many. for. as was decided at DBrussels yesterday, the passive resistance in the Ruhr must be abandoned before anyv ne- gotiations can begin. The note wasz char- acterized as unsatisfactory of abandon- ing the passive resistance, which is the first of the Iranco-Belgian conditions. Second. Germany offers no definite sum as the total reparations. Third. In sua- g>sting an impartial international com mi:rsion to fix the reparations total Ge.- many ignores andsseeks to viola < tha Vers:iiles Lreatv, which created the re- paration commission for exactly that purpose. The French see no reason why the reparation commission should be sup- planted. Fourth. The suggestion for guarantees might be open to discussion if Germany proposed their administration by the Allies, but if the Germans admin- ister the guarantees, the French would expect no satisfactory result. The Frene are still unconvinced, they say, when Germany pleads inability to pay. They declare they have seen her living sumptuously and that they know she can meet her obligations, M. Poincare had a lengthy conversaiion with Presi- dent Millerand this afternoon and gave him a repcrt of his meeting with the Belgian statesmen at Brussels. The question of how the German note is to he answered, it is said in oflicial cireles, depends upon the other Allies. France would be ¢lad to join in a collective ai- swer, but the terms must agree with the French views. The Germans were care- ful not to ignore the reparation con- mission and delivered a copy of the note to the commission today, as they did the main proposals were made early last month. London, June B:h.—The first prize in the Calceoita Derby sweets takes, amount- ing to 74,009 pounds, was drawn by a resicdent of Zanzibar named P. Mole who sold half his e¢hance before theac2, ac- cording to a (Calcutta despatch o thLe Morning Post. Paris, June 6th.—M. Poincare, upon 'ing the German reparation note, is rep. ‘ted to have called it “‘ridiculous’’, and the newspapers with the exception of the extremist organization, take the same attitude. The six leading papers of Paris apply to the memorandum such epithe’ sas "‘inadmissable’, ‘'unaccept- able’” and '‘not needing a reply”’. P lin, June 9th.—The French rejec- of the latest German reparations . oosals, which had been re arded in ofticial circles as offerine up to the hilt of German capacity to pay bhas caused deep p ssimism here, despite the fact that all 1 reliminary evidence showed Frar .2 would be unresponsive German offi- .als deelare every effort was made 1o rike satisiaciory terms. Official circles . d un:l the last momeut hoted that either Knglish or Belgium influence might bring France to a more friendly reception of the propoesals. Belgium’s aignment with France at the Brusse;s conference, however, was final assur- ance of unity of the Alied front, Chan- cellor Cuno faces new dithealties Wiih the rejectionr of Germany’s offer, he hus alrendy boeen under cioss ftire in the Reiensiag as a result of the Rubr diso:- ders and troubles throughout Central Germany that followed the latest drop of the mark. As sponsor of the repary- tions otfer he was subjected to much lg- bour eriticism for measures contained therein which might threatcn the eight hour d: y. Many believe his a.titude on t'e proposals eommits the Government t» stand or fall by their success.