Paris, Oct. 10.
The question which really dominates everything else in France is "Will Germany pay what she has undertaken to pay?" and the peace and industry prevailing' here are quite remarkable when one considers how great is the uncertainty on the reparations question. The Geneva conference is the chief stumbling-block at present. The Germans were told at Spa that the instalments of the war indemnity and the times and mode of payment would be fixed at a conference (already twice postponed) to be held at Geheva. England wants the conference as means of clearing up the whole question, but France and Belgium are hanging back because they suspect that the conference would deprive them of some of the advantages they possess, on paper, under the Treaty of Versailles. The French version is that when M. Millerand was at Spa, he agreed in principle to a conference being held at Geneva but did not bind himself to endorse whatever conclusion might be arrived at. Spa he stipulated that no figure should be mentioned and that the discussion should be confined to! ways and means. The French do not object to "a" conference at Geneva, on condition that it is not one of statesmen but merely of experts to thrash out the details, and that the final word on reparations is to be left to the Reparations Commission—which, after all, sounds logical.
Tne Narcrat Frencn Depvetioy.
There is a psychological question the bottom of the whole difficulty. The French start with, the assumption that Germany: s not sincere and never will be: sincere, and that her one object is to escape her liabilities and husband her resources for the next war, compelling France in the meantime to maintain a large army at great expense. The French are convinced that neither conferences nor debates nor experts' reports will ever get the better of Germany's obstinacy, and that she will not pay unless she sees that default will be followed by some' definite form of coercion by the 'Allies, such as the occupation of the Ruhr coalfields. To the argument that it is impolitic to drive' a debtor into bankruptey, they reply that everything depends upon the good faith and sincerity of the debtor, and they point out that up to the present Germany has given no tangible proof of any such good faith. She has repeatedly said she will pay as much as she possibly can, but these fair words do mot satisfy the French, who cannot,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.