V

REPARATION

date of the Armistice, shows that certain classesof them at least found a way, in spite of all theseverities and barbarities of German rule, to profitat the expense of the invader. Belgian claimsagainst Germany such as I have seen, amountingto a sum in excess of the total estimated pre-warwealth of the whole country, are simply irrespon-sible. 1

It will help to guide our ideas to quote theofficial survey of Belgian wealth published in 1913by the Finance Ministry of Belgium, which was asfollows :—

Million £.

Land . . ^ . . , 264Buildings ..... 235Personal "Wealth . . . . 545

Cash......17

Furniture, etc......120

1181

This total yields an average of £ 15 6 per in-habitant, which Dr. Stamp, the highest authority onthe subject, is disposed to consider as yyrima facie

of the exchange position of the mark. It will certainly be desirable forthe Belgian and German Governments to come to some arrangement asto its disposal, though this is rendered difficult by the prior lien held bythe Reparation Commission over all German assets available for such pur-poses.

1 It should be added, in fairness, that the very high claims put forwardon behalf of Belgium generally include not only devastation proper, butall kinds of other items, as, for example, the profits and earnings whichBelgians might reasonably have expected to earn if there had been no war.

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