OCR Text |
Show 'GERMANS FAIL IN A PROMISE Amsterdam, Nov. 4, via London, G p. in. The chamber of commerce of Antwerp has issued a report written by its president, E. Casteleln, to the members of the permanent deputation which represents the chamber before the Belgian government, outlining the steps which the Belgian province had taken to pay tho German war levy of 4SO.000.000 francs ($96,000,000). The report states: The Belgian provinces have just paid the German administration the ninth monthly installment of the war levy of 480,000,000 francs. They have up to date actually paid out 360,000.-francs 360,000.-francs of which 45,000,000 Is to be credited to 60,000,000 Imposed specially special-ly with the guarantee, given by the German authorities in December.1914, that Indemnity Tor requisitioned merchandise, mer-chandise, or merchandise which would still be requisitioned en bloc, would be paid as soon as possible In currency, In commercial bills of exchange, or in credits on German banks It. therefore, remains to our. provinces, in order to free our country completely from the heavy burden Imposed upon her after fourteen months of invasion and devastation de-vastation to make monthly payments for September, October and November. Novem-ber. 1915 that is. another 120.000,000. of which 15.000,000 Is on account of tho 60.000,000 special imposition in exchange for the guarantee of prompt payment for requisitioned goods. German Faith Broken. These facts show that for the past nine months Belgium has most scrupulously scru-pulously met the engagements made in her name at the time of the convention con-vention relating to war contributions. This convention is, however, of an entirely reciprocal character. Moreover, More-over, if Belgium has fulfilled her obligations, obli-gations, the German administration is very' much behind with its. which Is shown clearly by the facts gathered by the Antwerp chamber of commerce and from the general commercial world of Antwerp facts which it is ray duty to lay before you. gentlemen, gentle-men, in all sincerity and with due deference and loyalty. I had the honor to send you. on March 19 last, a duplicate report, winch I addressed to the Internationa! commission on the subjects of reductions reduc-tions en masse which had been imposed im-posed on tho trade of Antwerp. These requisitions reached an enormous figure, fig-ure, embracing the total amount of stocks in our warehouses and stores accumulated there at the time of the occupation of our town by German troops. The requisitioned goods wore for the most part removed from the town during the months of November Novem-ber and December by virtue of might, which is greater than right, with the minimum of formality, without any regard re-gard to tho rights of the owners or holders, without any previous agreement agree-ment as to the price of the sale Actual Figures Large. The actual figures of the requisitions, requisi-tions, of which I have been able to get details only regarding raw merchandise, merchan-dise, this then representing the major part of our imports, have reached and passed 85.000,000 francs. Five months more have passed since I described the situation in my report of March, without the smallest Improvement in (hat situation. Payments received since then do not represent a tenth part of the sums still owing. May I also persuade myself to call these so-called so-called "payments ' advances repre-sentlng repre-sentlng some 30 to 50 per cent of "bills, advances made by credits In marka payable at the Relchsbaank recoverable recover-able three months after the conclusion of peace and the payment of which on maturity involves to an extent which can be appreciated by all" In short, on bases within tho limit? of my report of March, giving an approximate ap-proximate round value to goods removed re-moved for shipping and transport houses (which I was not able to do before) I can assert that from sixty to seventy million francs for requisitions requisi-tions remain to be paid requisitions which Include nothing but merchandise merchan-dise coming from the various principal sources of commerce of Antwerp. Other Requisitions. I excluded from my calculating everything ev-erything relating to the industrial world, factory buildings and yards. I have no facts or authority in this quarter, which is not within the domain do-main of the chamber of commerce, but it Is general knowledge that here, loo. the requisitions have been considerable consid-erable and should represent in sura total a groat number of millions. I shall allow myself to call them to your attention because the interests involved therein have as much right to be included from the point of view of reparation, which it is beyond all justice, beyond humanity to delay any longer. M. Casteleln then reviews a series of acts and formal engagements by which the Germans and Belgians regulated regu-lated the matter of requisitions, stating stat-ing that at first the Germans made many requisitions forcibly in a summary manner. Then In December De-cember the "war levy was fixed at 35.000,000 francs monthly for a series of twelve months. The Belgians accepted ac-cepted this figure after long hesitation, hesita-tion, and after, it is declared, securing secur-ing a formal promise of prompt settlement set-tlement of the requistions. tho sum was raised to 40,000.000. with prompt settlement stimpulated On January 9 1915. Governor General von Bissing confirmed this agreement, the report states, and the promise was made that a body of Belgian business men would be appointed to reach a solution of the problem of payment for irrgeular requisitions. M. Castelein continues: 'Of all this, gentlemen, nothing has materialized. No commission was appointed ap-pointed at Antwerp, and with few exceptions ex-ceptions tho requisitions were not paid for " 1I. Casteleln states that in April, through promises made by Senator Strand, president of the German civil administration, it looked as if a solution so-lution were near, but when the settlement set-tlement dragged, the senator informed inform-ed hlra that the scheme was being recast re-cast In Berlin and that this would take three weeks. A commission was finally organized in Berlin, apparently, according to M. Casteleln, to take the place of the promised Antwerp body. This commission prepared questions described as of an inquisitorial character char-acter and gave somo relatively Insignificant Insig-nificant advances, finally leaving the question in the state described at the beginning of the report M. Casteleln maintains that the procedure pro-cedure adopted In Berlin made a complicated com-plicated thing out of what should have been the simple business transaction of paying for goods which had been seized. He asserts that the time Is not ripe to demand of the Germans the fulfillment of their aide of the contract and he argues their liability, citing article 52 of The Hague convention conven-tion of October 18, 1907, which, he declares, obligates Germany to repay re-pay requisitions even without a formal for-mal undertaking such as the Belgians signed with them. Both Law and Honor. "Lastly."' he adds, "we have not only a claim under Tho Hague convention conven-tion and international law, but also especially under the simple law that superior law regarding the word of honor given, which is hedged In everywhere "with such a character of invincibility that for precise and clearly determined objects, such as is the case here, one honors oneself by recognizing and religiously observing ob-serving It, even between enemies, exen on the battlefield." After stating that the report has the full approval of the chamber of commerce. com-merce. M. Castelein states that no line of procedure is recommended, but he is convinced that the members of the deputation will take a resolute attitude at-titude for enforcement of the Belgian claims "with the consciousness conscious-ness of defending something of the national heritage at the same time that you will serve the cause of justice jus-tice and right" |