GERMANY’S RIFLE STORES

Evening Star, Issue 19003, 27 July 1925, Page 3

GERMANY’S RIFLE STORES

HUGE QUANTITIES OF ARMS Citing iuslanres of secret military training, hidden war stores, and other treaty infractions, the Interallied Commission of Control charges that, except in a- few instances, Germany’s military armament is as strong to-day as it "'as in 19-22. ‘ The eommission’s report, which formed the basis of the recent Allied Note to Germany demanding fulfilment of tiie Treaty terms, was published by the Foreign Office. _ The commission declares Germany .still falls far short of complying with the military provisions of the" Versailles Treaty. Nearly all the infractions existing in 1922 stdl demand readjustment, the report said. “No measures have been taken by the Ijinipp factories,” according to the commission, 11 to suppress forbidden machinery in their old workshop for the manufacture of heavy artillery.” The document tolls how German officials hold themselves to ho the solo judges of what evidence the commission ought to be permitted to have, and how the keys of offices were lost, and found only after documents or other evidence the commission was _ seeking had been removed through side windows.

Tho members of the commission, tho report states, were frequently told on approaching a munitions depot, where they had reason to suppose they would find unauthorised stocks, that it was worth their lives to try to open the doors, whirh had been arranged with powerful mines that would be touched olf and blow everything in the vicinity to atoms.

This obstruction, tho commission concludes, was strong presumptive evidence in itself that Germany had not complied with tho Treaty; but it refers to other more speeiiie evidence contained in the. annexes, which, it is understood, are being kept secret, because otherwise German citizens who had denounced violations to the commission would bo compromised. The report cites tho most important discovery of war material. This was in a factory at Wittenau, and consisted of 113.000 rough castings of rifle barrels, 17.000 rough eastings of machine gnu barrels, 10,000 completed pistol barrels, and about a hundred eases of tools for tho manufacture of military weapons.

The commission asserts that it verified the existence throughout Germany of-a secret system of military training for youths. This was effected by tho illegal incorporation of young volunteers with the national army for periods of two months or so. It is 1 charged that about thirty military establishments wliich Germany had been ordered to suppress are being used again for the needs of the army. In recruiting and military training and in armaments Germany’s military power has been strengthened, according to the commission, which found that the manufacture of war material had been resumed without authorisation of tho commissou.