CHAOS IN RUHR

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 January 1923, Page 5

CHAOS IN RUHR

— INDUSTRIAL GUERILLA WAR. PROBLEMS FOR FRENCH. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, January 30. The outstanding feature in the Ruhr is a continued divergence of French and German claims, the former asserting the situation is satisfactory from their point of view, and the latter that a. gradual hold up of the services of public utility is being accomplished. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Dusseldorf correspondent says : —“lf the Germans succeed in a general strike of the railways, the French will, send an ultimatum at the end of the month, demanding the fullest satisfaction, and threatening to impose further most drastic measures, which are not disclosed. The Germans are engaged, in industrial guerilla warfare, striking here, working there, and seeking to overthrow order elsewhere. It is a case of pinpricking, which is causing as much inconvenience as a general strike.” The “Daily Chronicle’s” Cologne correspondent states:—The French railwav force, of 3500 men, is ridiculous with which to endeavour to conduct the most involved railway area in the world with 700 stations needing 70,000 skilled men. Many trains, including mili-

tary ones, have been derailed throughout the area. The Reichbank. at Dortmund, has been raided, and all finfunds seized, including 750,030,000 marks designed for wages at the Hisch Steel AVorks. Expulsions of high officials are continuing at such a pa<\, that there will not be a Mayor left in the Rhineland soon.. A message from Dusseldorf states that the German Government is doing everything to persuade the railwaymen to cease work- They have paid the railwaymen wages for January and February, so the men have no incentive to work for a month, but the people in Ruhr especially the shopkeepers realise that they will be the first to suffer through the tying up of traffic, and are now demonstrating against the strikers to such an effect, that the men are returning to workFROAI BAD TO AA’ORSE.

LONDON, January 30. Mr Renwick, writing to the “Daily Chronicle” states : Duisberg is under General Degoutte’s sterner measures. No one is allowed out of doors in the Ruhr between ten at night and six in the morning. The reason for the oritur is to stop acts of sabotage. All demonstrations have also been forbidden unless a special permit is obtained. The newspapers, theatres and kinemas are being severely censored. Ihe punishment for breaches ol Degoutte s orders is five years’ imprisonment, and a line of ten million marks. The order makes it plain that the situation is going from bad to worse. Economists have given the matter up as a bad job. Politicians and economists have been buoyed up with tire hope that an agreement between the French and German magnates would be quickly reached, but these hopes have disappeared. Aleanwhile, the ironworks arc closing for lack of coke. The expulsions have raised popular feeling at Aix la Chapclle to fever heat, particularly the expulsion of Doctor Kneld, Burgomaster of Mainz, who was taken from the hospital and carried into exile in a motor lorry- The train service m the Ruhr is in confusion.

FRENCH SEEK COM PROMISE. LONDON, January 30. Martin Donoghue, telegraphing from Faris says: The French Government is now prepared to open negotiations with Germany, if Germany takes the first step towards bringing about economic peace, and proclaims her intention to fulfil the financial arrange, incuts under the treaty of Versailles. GENERAL STRIKE DECLARED. PARIS, January 30. It is officially announced that a general railway strike has been declared on the left'bank of the Rhine. The Germans have, now refused to permit a continuance of the exhumation of bodies of French soldiers who died prisoners of war in Germany. M. Poincare, in conversation with English journalists, said : “We shall remain in the Ruhr as long as necessary ; not a day longer.’ ’ FRUITS OF DISUNITY. BALTIC AVAR-CLOUD. LONDON, January 30. The Morning “Post’s” Paris correspondent says he has Um highest authority for stating that in the opinion of Franco, the darkest cloud for the moment is not the Ruhr, but Memcl, where a crisis is threatened. If the Lithuanian Government did not actually organise the movement to oust tls Allied Governments in the Baltic, they favoured it. The Allies should send at least two thousand troops there, and Britain does not seem inclined to furnish men. If the Lithuanians continue in possession of Memel, the Poles will take action, and the Soviet will then join in making the war general. Al. POINCARE’S STATEMENT. ANNEXATION DENIED. PARIS, January 30. Al. Poincare denied that France intends to annex the Ruhr, in order to enable her to supply coal to the French iron industries in Lorraine. France, he said, would remain in German territory until Germany paid the reparations debts. Thirteen recalcitrant German officials were expelled from Dusseldorf, including •the successor to Schultius, the recentlyarrested head of the Finance Office. A general strike of railwaymen has commenced in the old occupied territory on the left bank of the Rhine. General Legouette has substituted French railwaymen at certain selected stations considered essential to the re-establishment of communications with France. It is hoped that the subordinate German personnel will collaborate with the French, thus avoiding the introduction of further Frenchmen. “Le Matin” says: There is much hostility among the Germans towards the French Mission engaged in sending home the remains of the buried French prisoners of war. Members of the Mission and relatives of the deceased were insulted and stoned on several occasions. The local authorities refused to Intervene. A BORAH RESOLUTION. WASHINGTON, .hmnary 30 In face of the avowed opposition of the Administration, Senator Borah introduced

a resolution in the Senate urging President Harding to invite all the nations concerned in an economic conference to attempt a settlement of the reparations and kindred problems. GERMAN AVORKERS’ RESOLVE. BERLIN, January 30. Two hundred delegates of the miners, metal workers, engineers and stokers’ unions adopted a resolution at the conference in Bochum, that they will stand by the Government in the fight against the French move to cut off the Ruhr and establish a new coinage, etc., but warned the Government against violent methods and urged that efforts be made to reach a peaceful understanding. BRITISH LABOUR DEMAND. (Reuter). LONDON, January 30. A largely attended meeting of the Par' liamentary Labour Party at London instructed Air Ramsay MacDonald to communicate with the Premier in regard to the Ruin-, and request that Parliament should be called earlier than February 13, in order that the situation can be discussed. The “Times’s” Hague correspondent reports that as the entire railway traffic to Holland from occupied Germany has been discontinued, an air service between Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Cologne is being organised.