The Spa agreement was discussed in the House of Commons
on Monday. Mr. Lloyd George contended that the agreement simply gave effect to Article 235 of the Peace Treaty, under which the Allies might advance money for food and raw materials to Germany out of the sums paid by her on account of repara- tion. We had two million tons of German shipping, worth perhaps £40,000,000, apart from the freights which they earn. We were lending Germany £5,000,000 so that she might buy more food for her miners and thus enable them to produce the coal of which France and Belgium stood in need. Mr. Lloyd George pleaded for fair play and generosity to Germany, whose working classes were underfed. He added that if Germany did not deliver coal at an average rate of two million tons a month she would have broken the agreement. The price of coal was high because the output had declined in all countries, and it would remain high until the production increased.
