News of the Week
Reparations IN the Reparations controversy the week has been fruitful of ups .and downs,' singular reversals of expectations, and, finally, a crisis which is not resolved when we write on thursday, and perhaps will not be resolved at all. The British experts, however, are remaining in Paris, hoping against hope that the situation may be saved. The crisis was brought about by an attempt to upset the Spa percentages—the arrangement by which the Allies receive agreed proportions of the 9erman payments—and to upset them almost entirely to the disadvantage of Great Britain. The proposal was all the more unexpected because the Spa Protocol was outside the field of the experts' work. Moreover, the percentages had always been regarded as a fixed point Of departure in all discussions something comparable in solidity and permanence to the Balfour Note. No sensible person will object to a reduction of German payments; but that Great Britain should be required to add another sacrifice to the unexampled Sacrifices she has already made, and to -place another burden on the shoulders of the most heavily taxed citizen in the world while other nations do nothing, is really too much. It is proposed that Great Britain should get less from Germany and the Allies in combination than is needed for repaying America what Great Britain borrowed on behalf of the Allies. The British experts have refused the plan in its present form, and, of course, the Government support them. * *
