THE EXECUTION OF THE DAWES PLAN

Bavaria against the Handover of the Railways

It is impossible to draw the attention of French public opinion too much to the dangers that Bavaria's attitude may pose to the execution of the Dawes Plan, particularly with regard to the handover of the railways to a joint-stock company. These dangers are brought to light and clarified by the discussion that was reopened last Tuesday before the joint committee (Ziwschenausschuss) of the Bavarian Landtag. A motion tabled by the "Volkishe" proposed to the Landtag to declare that the treaty concluded last February between the Reich and Bavaria was null and void, the Reich having ignored Bavaria's refusal to subscribe to the law implementing the Dawes Plan, relating to the railways, and that, consequently, the Bavarian network was returning to the Bavarian State, in full ownership.

In addition, the "Volkische" demanded that the Landtag refuse Bavaria's assent to the Mantelgesetz presented by the Reich government for the implementation of the Dawes Plan, a Mantelgesetz which includes, as we know, in addition to approval of the London agreements, the draft laws relating to the new bank, industrial bonds, monetary status, the liquidation of the Rentenbank and finally the reorganization of the railways.

Thirdly, and finally, to complete the edifice, the "Volkische" proposed that the Landtag should expressly recognise that the execution of the laws necessitated by the Dawes Plan "dealt a very serious blow to the vital rights of the Bavarian State". The German Nationals, in turn, tabled a motion which took up this last point of the Volkisch resolution and which, moreover, concluded that there had been a "violation of the treaty concluded between the Reich and Bavaria last February on the Bavarian railway system.

The Bavarian Prime Minister, Mr Held, set out his government's legal point of view against these demands and argued that the Reich government had formally undertaken to subject railway bonds to the same treatment as all other state funds. Therefore, he said, assent to the railway law was the only possible solution. Turning to the "Volkische", Mr. Held pointed out that it was criminal to make the nation believe that it could regain its freedom by force of arms.

What is characteristic and, in a way, decisive, is that, during the vote which followed this discussion, points 1 and 3 of the German-national motion were adopted, that is to say, the points which recognize that the February treaty has been violated and which indicate that the Bavarian Landtag, representing the Bavarian people, sees in the execution of the laws relating to the Dawes Plan a serious attack on the vital rights of the Bavarian nation.

From these signs one can measure the assistance which Bavaria will give to the government of the Reich in the work of initiating and executing the experts' report.