TO EXPLOIT RUHR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18341, 6 March 1923, Page 7

TO EXPLOIT RUHR.

lillliF 1 — — — |||pLAIfS IN. TEA COAL TAX TO BE LEVIED. 1 > A OCCUPATION EXTENDED. MANNHEIM AND KARLSRUHE COMPLETING THE BARRIER. HOKE CURRENCY SEIZED. By TcJesr»pli—Fr<*n Association—Copyiiehi. (Received 85 p.m.) A and N.Z. LONDON, March 4. Advices from Berlin state that. French troops ha™ occupied Mannheim and Darmstadt, and are advancing on Karlsruhe. The new occupation extends the French fine almost to Strasburg, and facilitates complete control of tho Rhineland Cus- • tonis. The Paris correspondent of the Sunday Times refers to the possibility of the French occupation of Frankfort-on-the-Main. The German Cabinet lias decided not to protest against the extension of French occupation. The Chancellor, Ilerr Cuno, said that a statement would be made in the Reichstag on Tuesday. In an interview he said that Franco wanted to become the master of Europe on Germany's ruins and keep the riches of the Ruhr. Germany was now fighting on behalf of Europe and she would never give in until the injustice of court-martials wag removed and Germany compensated for damages sustained through the occupation. A gemi official Not© issued in Paris states that rail and river transport of the Rhineland is being satisfactorily organised on commercial lines and utilisation of the riches accumulated in the Ruhr is imminent. The wealth will be exploited to secure results approximately equal to the deliveries of payments due according to the reparation schedules. ' The Daily Telegraph's correspondent at Dusseldorf says the French have made all administrative arrangements for collecting 40 per cent, of the coal tax. A mixed arbitration commission will calculate the tax in marks fortnightly, which will afterwards be valued in dollars on the 15t'n of each month. The tax must be paid into the bank, at, least, 30 per cent, to be in American, English, or other approved foreign currencies. If the mine-owners do not pay within 15 days, coal equivalent to the value of the tax, plus 50 per cent., will be seized 10 days later. The private property of the defaulter will be seized if the tax is ittill unpaid within a mouthy ana the defaulter kept in prison until the tax is paid. A Dusseldorf telegram says that owing to the telephone wires between that town and Essen being tampered with, General Degoutte fined the commune 1,000,000 marks. The burgomaster refused to pay and was arrested, and the money was taken from the .municipal banks. Thirty-five million marks were similarly seized at Bochum, and 80,000,000 marks intended for the railway strikers were seized at Recklinghausen.

TO COUNTER ESPIONAGE. " I ECONOMIC AND MILITARY. (HEAVY GERMAN PENALTIES. (Received 8.5 p.m.) Reuter. BERLIN. March 4. The President, Herr Ebert, hag decreed a penalty of 10 years' penal servitude, and in certain eases penal servitude for life, for rendering espionage services relative to economic, political and military matters to a foreign Power which occupies German territory in peace time, and for accommodating, sheltering or aiding the spies: of such a Power. Fines up to 500,000,000 marks are also inflictable.

THE ARBITRAL TRIBUNAL. NEUTRALS REPLACE GERMANS (Received 8.5 p.m.) Renter. "PARIS. March 4. The Franco-German., Mixed Arbitral Tribunal, which was established by article 304 of the Versailles Treaty, has appointed neutral judges, replacing Ihe Germans who were instructed from Berlin to withdraw.