NAZIS IN THE SAAR

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 114, 10 November 1934, Page 6

NAZIS IN THE SAAR

THEIR PLANS A MENACE

TRAINING OF YOUNG MEN

COMMISSION'S CHARGES

I&r. Knox, the British president of tha Governing Commission of the Saar territory, ;has addressed to the Secre-tary-General'of the'League'of Nations a 'Note containing the result of the examination of the documents seized at the offices of the "Voluntary Labour Service" attached to the "German Front," which is the name used by the NaSris in the Saar, says the " Manchester ,Guardian." Mr* Knox draws the League Council's special attention to the activities of this organisation, which is in close relations with German authorities and the Nazi organisations, such as tho S.S. and the B.A. Mr. Knox makes many sorious charges against' the Tfazis. Mr. Knox says that young Saarlanders recruited for voluntary wosk in the Nazi labdur camps in Germany are being trained in somo eases for directly attacking public Security in tho Saar. Mr. Knoi says that in1 consequence of the "Labour Services" plans the Governing Commission has, felt bound to "prepare as a preliminary preventive measure, in view Of the grave and menacing circumstances, a draft ordinanceubanning the voluntary labour organisation in the Saar and compelling the young men enrolled in it, and also those who were members of tho former S 4. and S.S. sections, to report to the police with the possibility of being placed under special surveillance. Some of the documents make it clear that official under the Governing Commission have been led to commit acts or to abstain from legal proceedings as'the result of 'acts/of intervention which constitute nothing lessthau attempts to corrupt or exercise pres"sure Other documents show that.organisations or agents of the "German Front"' ™ Maintaining^ constant relations with all kinds of services and authorities of the Reich, and are pro-moting-interference in'Saar affairs. ■ Further, evidence has been foundof very numerous breaches "of the criminal code most of which ate covered by the amnesty granted by the Govern Ing Commission with effect up to Juno .11 1934 The documents relating to criminal.acts which, have' occurred since that,date have, on, discovery, been referred *or invention to competent 'judicial authorities. ,) , „ "VOITOfTARY LABOUR SERVICE.'.' The Governing Commission Will later send the.Council "^her'particu ars of the various points hfIV*A,S nleted its examination of the dossiers which have fallen-into its Hands. For The moment it will draw the Conned* special attention to the activities o± the "Voluntary Labour Service" which constitutes a section of the "German of the extent and' gravity of the menace to public order kl the territory caused by the activity of. these Service? the ' Governing Commission feels In duty bound to communicate / Reich is defined in a letter dated October 6, 1933, as follows:— directorate be empowered to admit _ a fntal of about ten thousand Saar Germans into German "Voluntary Labour Services,"andto keep them beyond the Priori of training until recalled by the . Saa* territory in the plebiscite year, ?935 We suggest that these ypung ST should up in" camp to" the ordinary «rg. Described fof the" Volttntar/; Labour ■ SeS, they sHquld'.feceive'Sp'ecialat-' . Son'and 7instr'uctiou with * view, to thlc Scofdingl?lnW/ocum B ntddted the same period,the ,cr6aita/considered isisfi Tavs Mr Knox, about 4'xteen thousand young Saatlantos..have/received tins ''aSLt andWe recent M*?'**** July 6, 1934, from tho Director of Jolnntlry Labour,, HanoveV-to' the .Saar labour Service of Berlin mentions that according to a letter from, the Beich Director "moral influence' .was to be exercised with1 a view-to keeping the laar Germans in-voluntary servwe until the, plebiscite. "THE INEVIiASLfi CONCLUSION." ' The inevitable* conclusions to be drawn from ttie-.pasSages quotedabove (states Mr. Knox).is, that r the geogra-, phical position oil/the specialvtiammg camps'for young Saarlandersr,, ,with a view to the Saar .campaign, «,choben so as to enable'these young men, to be given military .training -without r in-< fringement of Articles 42,ancl 43 of tho Treaty of Versailles.' .' > -, •• • ' ExaWnation-of.theEcbod.documents has al«o revealed; other; .serious -acts on the ?art of the 'Voluntary Labour Service." These documents (he- says) will doubtless serve to convince the Council Of the gravity Of the situation, to which tho Governing Commission ha* repeatedly drawn' its-atten-tion in -recent months. - •. , ■ , In- present circumstances,, -the Com--1 mission cannot overemphasise thi,.. immediate nee,d for the Council to accoid its urgent support by approaching the States members of tho League with reference to the recruiting ot police and eendarmery under tho conditions prcfcribed by the resolution of June 4, 19Annexed to Mr. Knox'^ letter arc the teats of the letters seized by tho police when the raid on the headquarters of "the Saar Labour Service was carried out. These letters, apait from dealing in detail with the points described by Mr. Knox, giye evidence that certain lefractory membersi of the Nazi organisation and enemies thereof wofe brought when possible from Saar teriitoty into Germany proper for "discitilinary action." . P What is termed iv League quarters as a cynical reference to the fact that 90 pe* cent, of the Saar Labour volunteers are Catholics is also made in a letter from Saar Nazi headquarters in Berlin in which it is suggested that "If there are no Catholic priests m Evan,, gelical districts it might .perhaps- be suggested that a padre 6r other reverend gentleman might corno along as a travelling chaplain, so that all these, lads might be quitfi sure Of receiving salvation." , ' POLITICS AN6 SCHOOLS. In the fifty-eighth periodical Teport of the Saar Governing Commission it is stated that .the Department for Public Instruction ha 9 taken stops to prevent the political campaign winch is being launched in preparation for the plebiscite being carried out .in .the schools. ' ■It has forbidden holidays for excursions of a political character, the introduction of textbooks without'previous approval of the authorities, decoration of schools for political festivals Or" the, dissemination of, tracts, in tho schools

of Jews and Arabs together. without the approval of the_ Department, and the wearing of uniforms or public badges >in school precincts, as well, as all forms of political propaganda in schools. Special instructions have also b.ecn given tb th 6 teaching staffs and to the pupils on'the'sifbjdct of theii" relations' with Jewish children.