December 26, 1922.--Ileparation Commission declares Germany in voluntary
default in timber deliveries to France during 1922. Great Britain declares
that for this default Article I, section (b), of the agreement of March 21
should be applied; that is, “additional equivalent cash payments shall be
exacted from Germany at the end of 1922 in replacement of the deliveries
not effected.” France, supported by Belgium and Italy, declares that since
the French Government officially invited the commission to take note of the
timber default, Annex II, sections 17 and 18, of the treaty of Versailles must
be applied; that is, “in general, such other measure as the respective Govern-
ments may determine to be necessary in the circumstances.”
January 2-7, 1923.—Allied Premiers meet in Paris. British present new plan
of reparation payments, abolishing London schedule of payments, substituting
new series of bonds with four-year moratorium. deferred interest at 5 per
cent, an opportunity for amortization loan of about 30,000,000.000 gold marks.
French present plan for two-year moratorium, cancellation of series C bonds
as a set-off fo interallied debts and guaranties in Germany amounting to
1,000,000,000 gold marks annually. Italians alse submit a plan. (See Ap-
pendixes III, IV, and V.) French and British fail to agree on their respective
plans.
The moratorium has now lapsed, and the first quarterly payment under the
London schedule, amounting to 500,000,000 gold marks, becomes due January 15,
January 9, 1923.—The Reparation Commission declares Germany in default
on coal deliveries during 1922, Great Britain voting in the negative. France
decides to seize “productive guaranties” and informs Germany to that effect.
January 11, 1923.—French and Belgium troops with engineers and technical
experts enter Iissen and the surrounding Ruhr territory. Germany sends a
note in protest to Allied and neutral countries.
January 12, 1923. —Premier Poincaré, of France, brings forward a new plan
of reparation settlements. which includes a moratorium for one year, Allied
control of German finance, and a continuation of the Ruhr occupation.
January 13, 1923.—The Reparation Commission postpones the pavment of
500,000.000 gold marks due on January 15, until February 1.
January 14, 1923.—Germany notifies the Allied Powers that deliveries in kind
and cash payments will be suspended to the powers participating in the Ruhr
occupation, that is, France and Belgium, owing to the alleged violation of the
treaty of Verseilles by the aforesaid powers.
January 16, 1923.—The Reparation Commission declares Germany in default
on deliveries in kind, other than coal and timber.
January 18, 1923.—France notifies the Rhineland High Commission to seize
State-owned forests in the occupied territory and to collect the coal taxes
formerly collected by the German Government. These are to be applied against
reparations aceount.
January 27, 1923.—Germany is declared in general default on payments in
cash and in kind to France and Belgimin on the basis of the German note of
Tanuary 14. suspending payments to those powers.
Germany is notified that the 1922 moratorium lapsed on January 1, and that
the London schedule of payments is effective from that date.
February 16, 1923.—Exports of minor products from the Ruhr district to
occupied Germany are permitted on payment of 10 per cent tax. Principal
products prohibited for shipment into nnoceupied Germany consists of coal, coke,
lignite, etc., and by-products of coal distillation. cast-iron ingots, h'llets, blooms.
sheet iron, rolled steel, slag. cement, finished iron and steel goods, bricks.
slectrotechnical products. machinery. chemical fertil'zers. dyestuffs, seeds.
March 1, 1923.—The Rhineland High Commission. with the British repre-
sentative abstaining, decrees the substitution of the French and Belgium civil
administration for the German railroad administration in the Rhineland.
French military authorities order all wine and tobacco taxes to be paid to
the French, under penalty of closing wine and tobaceo shons throughout the
Rhineland.
March 12, 1923. —Franco-Belgian conference in Brussels. Decision reached
that the newly occupied territory will he gradually evacuated upon execution
of reparations obligations by Germany and upon the removal of all penalties
»u German nationals whe have eollaborated with the Allied authorities,
March 14, 1923.—Imports into occupied area through the western frontier or
hy way of the Rhine are subject to a 10 per cent tax. . Imports entering through
unoccupied Germany consigned from a country other than Germany are exempt
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