ENEMY COUNTRIES

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 10 July 1917, Page 5

ENEMY COUNTRIES

ACUTE CRISIS IN .GERMANY..

POLITICAL PARTIES AT ISSUE.

ALARM AT RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE

-THE TRUTH DEMANDED BY ALL CLASSES.

. , BERNE, July 8. rri. reiis an acute crisis in Germany. , .The Reichstag Committee has held !j secret sessions and heatedly .debated the I ' subject of war aims all day' on Saturday, ■ '.the anti-annexationists and jmn-Ger- , .mans demanding the Government's .ad--herenoe -to their' rival policies. Subsequently the Kaiser gave an audience to -Herr Hollweg, Field-Marshal yon Hindenburg, .Admiral yon Capelie, yon .Stem, and JDr Helfferich. BERNE, July 8. I Germany s political crisis _is .primarily attributed to the alarm caused at Berlin by the Russian offensive. The sup- ! .jrrossed excitement which has been in: evidence in the lobbies of the Reichstag ' for several days came to a head on Saturday, when a secret session vwas he- . gun at 9 o'clock in the morning. Herr • Erzeberger, a member of the Centre! Party, declared that the military situation was causing general uneasiness throughout the country, and that all classes were demanding that ihe .Government should tell the truth as to the military and submarine prospects. Yon Stein and Admiral Capelie reolied opti*misSiically,:the:latter declaring that submarinings would paralyse Britain. Herr Scheidemann demanded from the Government a clear declaration that it would accept oeace without annexation. Herr Westarp demanded, with equally clear insistence._a policy of annexations. Herr Hollweg replied, and the committee adjourned till Monday. The parties later privately discussed the situation until late at night, and Borne resumed on Sunday. I The Kaiser's audience with Ministers j was prolonged. . AMSTERDAM, July 9. I Herr Hollweg declared that he rejected the idea of tying himself to a formula for peace without annexations and indemnities. THE HAGUE, July 8. i In the rioting at Cologne, following -on _ie T-eduction 'Of meat rations, the police and -troops charged the crowd, -many being wounded.