MILITARISM IN GERMANY

Evening Star, Issue 17792, 14 October 1921, Page 4

MILITARISM IN GERMANY

“ SAFETY POLICE.” LONDON, September 29. Tho correspondent of ‘Tim Times ’ at Berlin state:; that fresh confirmation of Germany’,', opposition to disarmament is afforded by tho military leaders iu Bavaria, who peremptorily rofuso tlio information demanded by allied officers regarding the - numbers of tho Reich swebr discharged during tho first six months of 1921 in order to chock tho building up oGonaaked reserves. ’Tho refusal was bnlwcl on an interpretation of tho Versailles Treaty. More significant still is the refusal of Bavaria to communicate the figures of tho Budget, including the army and police estimates for 1919, 1920, and 1921.

IT. Nollot recently handed a Note to tho Gorman Government pointing out that nothing had been done to convert tho so-called “safety police ” into a civilian fora?, in accordance with the allied demand, but the “ safely police ” remained a mobile field force, tho strength and distribution of which was kept secret. An oven deeper mystery surrounds tho irregular forces in East Prussia, and M. Nollet emphasised the fact that the police invariably take tho field in any trouble on tho frontier regarding Kilos La, and iu the farcical Communist war in Saxony, with full field equipment, machine guns, field kitchens, and armored cars, while tho army remains tin barracks.

‘ The Times,' in a leading article, confesses that it is not impressed with tho official enumeration of tho material destroyed by Germany. The real menace, it says, is the steady and systematic preparation for a return to the militarist system, to bo accomplished by tho retention of camouflaged officers and men, and the keeping alive of the spirit of militarism, especially by the Kmmper system, whereby recruits are passerl rapidly through tho ranks and into n sively trainod.

Though tho numbers of the army do not exceed tho limit fixed by the Treaty, ‘ Tho Times ’ urges the onlai'gement and strengthening of the Disarmament Commission,