Aug. 14.
Inter anxious thought must have (s. expended before the British Government decided to publish the full Note and memorandum to France and Belgium, of which Reuter sends so striking and voluminous a report to-day. Not only does the Note contain language of uncompromising directness, especially as regards the debts to Great Britain' which would seem to have been relegated to an altogether secondary position in Fren_ consideration, but it marks complete cleavage of views, which cannot be healed until France and Belgium adopt a more conciliatory attitude. For six months Great Britain has scrupulously refrained from any public criticism of the Franco-Belgian policy in the Ruhr. She "feels" at last that silence can no longer be preserved. While France and Belgium do not appear to desire her cooperation except on terms of unequivocal adhesion to their point of view, she finds that 4 settlement of the intolerable situation in the Ruhr ''cannot much longer be delayed'' and states plainly. that. she ''regards as doomed to failure the method of the French and Belgian Governments.'' From all this and in view o! the uncompromié- ing attitude of these two Powers as detailed in the Note, the concluding hint at the possibility of "separate action'' is inevitable if ominous.
It will be useful to recall briefly the German proposals of June 7 which have led to this grave state of affairs. Berlin's note of that date asked for a four years' moratorium, sinul-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.