PRUSSIAN POLAND.

Evening Post, Issue 51, 29 February 1908, Page 5

PRUSSIAN POLAND.

THE EXPROPRIATION MEASURE PASSED BY DIET. CONTINUATION OF BISMARCK'S I'OLICY. 6/ Telegraph.— Treat Association.— Copyright. (Received February, 28, 9 a.m.) BERLIN, 28th February. The Upper House of tho Prussian Diet, by 143 to 111, rejected restrictions introduced by its committed in tho Polish Expropriation Bill, which was finally passed with a few unessential changes emanating from the Lower House. Prince- Bulow urged that the only alternatives were the abandonment of Bismarck's Polish policy or to adopt the Bill, which was consistent with that policy and less cruel than half measures. The Diet was asked for a credit of 400 million laarks for expropriating tho lands of Polish owners, but voted only 273 million marks. Under the Bismarckian policy of expropriation, during the last six years more than 9000 German families 'havebeen settled in the Eastern. Provinces. That is about twice as many as in all the preceding years since 1886 taken togother. Up to 21st December, 1906, some 326,000 hectares of la-nd had been acquired by the Settlement Commission, and of these about 134,000 had been disposed of. The number of Germans resident jn the settlement villages had increased annually by from 10,000 to 12,000 souls. Latterly the newlyformed German villages had increased annually by some fifty. Their total number was now 315. In introducing his Bill in the Didfc, Prince Bulow said that in the sitting of 13th January, 1903, he had pointed out that while- the population of the province had increased between the censuses of 1890 and 1900 by about" 7f per cent., the increase of the Poles amounted to about 10£, and that of the Germans only to 3t| por cent. The picture was, however, a very different one if the census of 1905 was taken. It would then bo seen that since 1900 the German population in ther province of Poscn had increased by 4900, that was to say 5.97 per cent., whereas the Polish population had only increased by 49,000, cr 5.08 per cent. These figures in themselves did not say much, but they gained significance when it was borne in mind that tho Germany in the province of Posen had increased as much during the last five year^ as in the preceding twenty, and that in country districts, and especially that of Bromberg, their absolute increase- had been greater than that of the Poles. Hence the hope was justified that changes in the population to tho disadvantage of Germanism had gradually bien brought to a standstill.