THE DAWES PLAN

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 September 1924, Page 5

THE DAWES PLAN

ACCEPTED BY GERMANY

* TENSE EXCITEMENT

ANGRY COMMUNISTS. 8X CABLB—P»SBB ASSOCIATION-COPEBIGH'J BERLIN, Aug. 30. The Reichstag, voting on the Dawes Bills, adopted the Bank Bill by 259 Votes; to 172. With two abstentions the German Nationalists voted against the Bill. The Reichstag then adopted the Railways Bill by 314 votes to 127, thus giving the necessary two-thirds majority. The Nationalists voted in favour of the Bill. Then the Reichstag adopted the London pact by 314 votes to 127. Tense excitement marked the proceedings in the Reichstag. The galleries were packed, and there was a fnil muster of deputies. The various Nationalists’ amendments to the London. agreement were first rejected, whereuppn the House, by majorities of a boat 85, successively gave the final reading to the various Bills for carrying out the Dawes scheme that only required a • bare majority, the Nationalists voting against these. Excitement rose to fever heat at the commencement of the voting on the fateful Dawes Railway Bill, which required a two-thirds majority, because r it, involved a change jn the constitu-, .. It was noticed that many Na~ - tibnalists ostentatiously \flourished red voting cards, denoting “no,” but slyly dropped white cards, denoting “yes,” into the ballot urns. There was a deathly silence when the result was announced, showing that the two-thirds majority had been exceeded by 20 Votes, apd /the definite ratification of the London agreement was thus assured. . There were shouts of anger and disgust from the Communists and General . Ludendorff’s followers, who shook their fists at the applauding galleries. A covering law, embodying all the Bills and the London agreement, was finally adopted by a plain majority. An extreme Nationalists’ motion of no-con-fidence in the Government was defeated'by 251 to 94, with 85 abstentions. The result of the voting was received by excited crowds in the streets. 1 Cyclists scattered special , editions of newspapers in the form of leaflets. There talk of the resignation of Dr. 'Marx and Dr. Von Stresemann and of the formation of a new. Cabinet, composed of a bloc of citizens’ parties, in which the Nationalists will be included. General Ludendorff was, one of the most excited participators, in the Reichstag debate, When the result was announced he walked out red in the face and gesticulating violently. He called to Admiral Brueninghaus: ‘ ‘This is a scandal for' Germany. Ten years ago I won the Battle of Tannenberg. You to-day have won the Jewish Tanhenberg.” The admiral replied: “Your Excellency, history will decide that.” He then turned his. back on General Ludendorff. 1 The Chancellor (Dr. Wilhelm Ward) has issued a manifesto in the newspapers in the form of an expression of thanks to the Reichstag for passing the Reparations Bills. This manifesto is part of the price paid for the support of the Nationalists, since it deals mainly with one of the points they most stressed, namely, war guilt. The text of - the passage is as follows: “The Government , cannot and will not allow this important moment to pass without clearly defining its standpoint on the war guilt question, which since 1919 has weighed heavily upon the German people. The affirmation laid upon us by the Treaty of Ver- - .ailles under the pressure of overwhelming. force that Germany let loose the world war by her attack contradicts the facts of history. The Governmbht of the Reich, therefore, declares that it does not recognise this affirmation, and it is a just demand of the German people that, they should be freed from the burden of this false charge. So long as this does not happen, so long will the members of the community .of nations be branded as criminals, against humanity, and a true understanding and reconciliation between people, cannot be accomplished.” .The text adds that this declaration will be communicated to the foreign Governments. The declaration, however, Joses much of its effect by being made after, instead of before, the Reichstag division. . The. Reichstag has adjourned till October 15. The . debate on the Tariff Bill was dropped, as the Communists, who, opposed the measure, left the House in a body. Consequently there was no quorum.

, .. LONDON, Aug. 30. Ahe diplomatic correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says there is good reason to believe that the German ationalists will be rewarded by being permitted entry into the Bourgeois bloc of the Cabinet, in which Dr. von Stresemann (Minister for Foreign Affairs), W'ho is the author of thisi compromise, will remain . the dominant figure. , The Pact of London was signed at 1 o clock to-day. There are five documents, namely, the protocol and four annexes. The , delegates signed in alphabetical .order, the British Empire delegate following Sir Eyre Crowe, who on behalf of Britain. The Dominions were represented by their -<fligh Commissioners, and the other .Powers by their Ambassadors and Ministers.

, PARIS, Aug. 30. It is announced that the French Government will this evening, or at the latest to-morrow, issue orders for the military evacuation of, the Dort-mund-Hoerde area, and the strips of territory outside the Ruhr which have been occupied since November, 1923. The military evacuation will proceed pari passu with the economic evacuation. which is estimated to last several weeks. , French correspondents at Berlin describe the Reichstag debate as a lamentable spectacle of blackmail, intimidation and bargaining, which lowered the prestige in the Reichstag at home and abroad. It made the Nationalists worse than ridiculous They declare that the Nationalists voted as they did because they feared 'to face fresh elections.

“Pertinax” says: “The bargaining of the People’s Party and the Nationalists dissipated once and for all the illusion, that Republican Germany has resolved peacefully to acquiesce in a solution of European problems.”