Dawes Report and Germany's Financial Obligation: The £40,000,000 Loan: Need for an American Representative on the Reparation Commission London, July 14, the House of Commons today carefully-worded speeches wers made by Mr, Asquith and Mr. Baldwin on the resumption of th Foreign Office estimate debate, wita the evident desire not to embarrass the Governrhent oh the eve of the inter-Allied Conference.
Mr. Asquith urged that any surance with regard to security that was given to France ought to be part of Britain's general undertaking under the Covenant of the League of Nations; secondly, that similar security should be offered to. Germany; and, thirdly, that Germany must be admitted to memership of the League and given a seat on the Council. The Empire should guarantee France and Germany. He emphasized the desirability of consulting the Empire and of carrying it with us in order to achieve the object of the Leagus.
Mr, Baldwin expressed sympathy with My. Asquith's argument, Mr, MacDonald said that the question whether the Dawes report ought to impose on Germany obligations not legally within. the interpretation of the Treaty of Versailles would be reported on by the legal experts to the Conterenes.
France, he continued, had come to regard the Treaty of Versailles as something akin to the Ark of the Covenant and any suggestion to put it aside aroused amazing fears, A. similar feeling was enter: Work of pacifying Europe. tamad with rogand to any soamest all modifeation of the operations of] the Reparation Commission, We must, however, be very careful that leo did not extend the legal sions of the Treaty, The Reparation Commission, satisfactory security for the eredifor. The minimum change would be an American on the Reparation Commission with—power to speak fang vote when default was being considered. The Spa Agreement would certainly not be reconsidered in London. Mx. Macdonald was very anxious that these questions Should not be quarrelled about preliminarily to "the Inter-Allied Conference, at which the Dawes report alone would be considered and put into operation.
The Reparation Commission was political rather than judicial. Ger-with regard to the Ruhr the Commission had been scrapped. The subsequent action had been taken not by the Reparation Com-jon but. by. the Governments, not together but on their own initiative. The undermining security by political action was a problem to be faced. Mr. Mac-Donald took up the position that the creditor should have security which would be satisfactory to him.
'The preparation of " programms of sanctions would only mean giving Germany a warning of how, in the event of default, she would be punished. Nobody' would foolish, "All they could hope was that the conference, beginning on Wednesday, would be regarded-as opportunity that would. not occur again, not only for the Allies to reunite, but. to unite in the one
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