TURMOIL IN GERMANY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17140, 21 April 1919, Page 5

TURMOIL IN GERMANY.

BAVARIAN CIVIL WAR. FEELING OF DESPAIR. A. and N.Z. LONDON, April 18The Berlin correspondent of the Daily Chronicle states that the .whole of Northern Bavaria, except Hof, is now in the hands of General Hoffman's Government, whose troops are on the Danube. A tragiccomedy has been revealed at Munich, whcro the Government troops on Saturday brought about the fall of the Bavarian Soviet republic. It transpires that the revolution was a put up job, engineered by Bavarian and Prussian Conservatives using sham Socialists and Communists as agents-provo-cateurs. The plotters aimed at causing a maximum of confusion in Germany with a view to making the fulfilment of the peace conditions, especially the financial terms, impossible. The primary motive of the Bavarians was to separate from the ! rest of Germany, hoping for more j favourable terms of peace. HopeI less internal differences, coupled I with General Hoffman's military i coup, shattered the schcme and plunged Bavaria into civil war. The German Government is urging the Allies to permit the speedy repatriation of Russian prisoners from Germany, because they are increasingly troublesome There have been many attempts to break prison. The Government fears that they will swell the ranks of the Spartacists. Herr Noske, Minister for Defence, threatens Munich with a military expedition from the north. The German Spartacists at Munich have decided to establish the Soviet dictatorship. They seized bourgeoisie hostages, who will be punished whenever the Government punishes the Communists. A sixhour day will be adopted. The gravediggers at Stettin joined the strikers, and many coffins are lying in open graves except at Berlin. Strikes and sabotage are everywhere prevalent in Germany, originating from lack of food, and a general feeling of despair. Germany is likened to a ereat wasps' nest. The strikers at Ruhr, where 350 mines out of 375 are icllp. refuse to allow the necessary work to prevent the mines being permanently damaged. They even refused to extinguish an underground fire in the Shamrock mine. The King of Bavaria has applied for sanctuary in Switzerland. A. and N.Z. AMSTERDAM. April 18. Srmrtacist soldiers at Dresden occupied the military headquarters of the loyal .Taecers Guards and other public buildings. It ; s expected that a Saxon Soviet Republic will be proclaimed at Leipsic forthwith.