The financial position of France at the present time is*su.med up in a remark by M. Henry Uhéron, who presented the report 2n the Budget estimates to the Senite. He said that the country could not possibly meet the charges arising, from the war, and that there would no way out of the didiculty unless Gerimany paid. As the occupation of Dusseldorf and the other towns on the right bank of the iumne does noe seem to" have Druugit us any wearer yo eairacuing any mvaey sum Beran, the £reicn Bre assiby Wail 18 LO ye WoL Leal, duo IL is sugyestea that we Ailes SuOuid ULL cUuuEe Uheuseives mere itary occupauon wut shod Wise possession Of a urge act OF German terrcory and levy cone tripuuons on it, juse as the Ger-manus theauseives did during the war. the Germans know quite well what this form of pressure means, and it would have much more effect on them than the present rather half-hearted measures taken by Germany's creditors.
It is not known whether M. Briand has laid any proposals for more vigorous action before the Allies, but he certainly has no idea of allowing France to drift into bankruptey because~ she cannot obtain a settlement of her just claims. How little the occupation of Dusseldorf has helped France is shown by the movements of exchange. Usually the seizure of part of a debtor's estate as a guarantee tends to improve the position of the creditor, but as a mxitter of fact, the franc stands lower in the international exchange market than it did before the Allied. troops moved forward.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.