ABOUT THE ENEMY

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16209, 11 May 1918, Page 10

ABOUT THE ENEMY

'THE GERMAN METHOD

(By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.)

BUENOS AIRES, May 8.

Count Loxburg (formeriy German Minister at Buenos Aires) accompanlod by the German Minister to Peru and Charge d'Affaires in Uruguay, has sailed for Sweden.

PARIS, May 9. Tho Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chamber of Deputies considered that Austrian documents and other evidence regarding peace conversations never tit any time afforded au opportunity for the conclusion of a peace acceptable to France or hoi- Allies. WASHINGTON, May 9. The State Department has issued a copy of a document circulated in Spain by a German propagandist, •wnich tiie Stat© Department says i« undoubtedly of German origin. The document says;— - ""."The Germans hava • taken incalculable booty in France nnd Belgium. 'As tho result of the stupid stubbornness of the Belgian people in continuing to struggle after their defeat, fines totalling 120,071,000 pesetas liavo been imposed on wealthy individuals and : cities. This figure includes 1.5,000 pesetas fines imposed on Alsatian children who insisted on speaking French. More than .500,000 British prisoners linvo been taken,as against 124,80(5 Germans by tho TJrifish, but it must j lx> remembered that tho British treat prisoners, with notable kindness, while • Germany treats British prisoners with , extreme rigour, so that the Germans havo secured a superior moral eft'oct. Several thousand British prisoners have died through, disease and scanty food, and,others from accidents. "If any neutrals are contemplating, elding. with tho Allies they hack* best' .tako warning.", The statements, were- circulated before tho offensive of February 21st. LONDON,' May 9. The "Daily Chronicle's" Amsterdam correspondent says that German papers declare that Austria is heading for ' disaster, owing to the Southern Slav menace. The latest proposal is to separate Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Dalmatia

from, Austria, adding thorn to Hungary, in order ,to compensate her, in i view of the Austrian settlement of the

Polish question, by which arrangement • Austria-Hungary will become a triple monarchy.

The - difficulties of the Austrian half -of the Dual Monarchy—which, since 1866, has been tlie weaker half —ap.v pear to'.be, rapidly growing. The ' bouthern Slavs, agitation among whom ' was' one of the causes of the war. arc < - rcstivel under the Germanising pressure of the.; Vienna Government, wnile' the v i.Northern Slavs--the Czechs, of Bolie- , " miaj- the Moravians, and Slovaks—are practically in open rebellion, and these ■ two, groups far outnumber the r German factions in Austria, as .the nonoutnumber the Magyars in Hungary.: . German and Magyar domi'nation 'JtaLsV only been maintained by. franchise laws, and now, as in Prussia, ' there isr strong pressure for the establishment of a widely extended fran- \ chise. If this were done,' the . domination,, of-both Magyars and German-Aus-trians would come to an end. Even now, in 'the Reichsrat, 233 Germans— who'are'divided into,.mutually antagonistic parties--are faced by .263 Slavs i' 1 and Italians,' the Slavs including 108* Czechs, some 80 Galiciap Poles, and ~a -• ' . certain number of Ruthenians, Slovene?,' Dalmatians, Croatians, and Italians.