The Week's Vaporings

The projected conference of experts to examine Germany's capacity to pay reparations (TIME, Nov. 19) definitely "fell through." Premier Poincare suggested another conference to consider the question of how Germany can pay, but this was unacceptable to the other Allied Powers and to the U. S. Sir John Bradbury, British representative on the Reparations Commission, thought it was like "prescribing a pill to cure an earthquake."

The next wriggle in the reparations tangle was when Germany was reported to have " repudiated the Treaty of Versailles so long as the French and Belgians occupy the Ruhr." This meant that payment of every kind of reparations would cease. The report was previous; but is considered likely to be restated officially. The ground upon which Germany was said to have based its alleged attitude toward the Treaty is that the Treaty has already been nullified by the Ruhr occupation, which Germany holds is illegal. If such a step were taken it was considered that France would be obliged to repudiate her foreign debts owing to her failure to collect from Germany.

For a time it was considered that France would be able to make a satisfactory agreement with the German industrial magnates (Herren Stinnes, Thyssen, Kloecckner, Fickler, Rausch, Hubert) for control of factories and mines, and thus secure reparations to cover the cost of reconstruction in the devastated areas. These negotiations, however, fell through principally because Chancellor Stresemann, exercising pressure upon the industrialists, declined to depart from his standpoint that the Ruhr occupation is illegal and that whatever the French have seized from that territory must be placed to the credit of reparations-- as there could be no question of paying France and Belgium for an illegal occupation. When the Chancellor's letter was shown to Colonel Georges, acting for General Degoutte, who is the French general in command of the occupational forces, he jumped up and exclaimed: " We cannot continue to negotiate with you. That letter proves you are not private individuals but the official representatives of the German Government, and with that Government our Government refuses to negotiate under the present circumstances. Gentlemen, we ask you to withdraw." That ended the conference which had been in session for about four weeks.

The Reparations Commission, a body set up by the Versailles Treaty, decided to hear representatives of the German Government "at their convenience" on their failure to make reparations payments. This was thought unlikely to have any effect on the general situation.