TURMOIL IN GERMANY

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11659, 25 October 1923, Page 8

TURMOIL IN GERMANY

ARMED RISINGS IN MANY INDUSTRIAL TOWNS STARVING PEOPLE PATROL STREETS OF BERLIN COMMUNIST RISING IN HAMBURG RHENISH REPUBLICANS FAILING Starving and unemployed workers in the industrial towns of Germany are becoming increasingly violent, and the looting of food shops is general. The workers still employed are threatening to strike. In Berlin hungry crowds are patrolling the streets. The Communists in Hamburg stormed the police station, captured them, but were driven out after heavy firing. The republican movement in the Rhineland has made little progress.

STARVATION BERLIN CROWDS IN UGLY MOOD. POLICE HEAVILY ARMED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received October 24, 8.5 p.m.) BERLIN, October 24. The centre of the city is a terrible spectacle. A thousand men and women, unaible to'buy food, are patrolling the streets in ugly mood. Fortunately, the starving Berliners have little energy left for revolt, although the Communists do their utmost to incite them to plunder. Great queues of housewives, with haggard faces, wait for hours outside the bakers’ shops, in the hope of getting a loaf of rye bread. Yet the Berlin theatres are crowded, the popular cafes are packed, and the cook•hops are displaying fancy cakes. Nearly all the other shqps are closed, and their fronts are heavily barricaded. The - police are so strongly armed that the city has the appearance of a military occupation. Similar reports come from most of the industrial towns in Germany, where foodless and workless demonstrators threaten to go over to the Communists. Street fighting is in progress at Stettin, where the dockyards are idle, and the workless are looting shops. TURMOIL INCREASING STRIKES IN BIG CENTRES. BAKERIES LOOTED. Reuter’s Telegram. LONDON, October 23. Berlin reports state that economic turmoil is increasing Herr Stresemann’s troubles. ‘Strikes have already broken out in the shipyards at Hamburg and among the coalminers of Central Germany for increased wages. The Berlin workers have jointly threatened to strike within three days failing the introduction of a soheme of payment in stable currency. A telegram from Essen states that the Tbyssen wprks have closed down owing to financial difficulties, rendering 13,C00 workers idle. All the bakeries in the capital have been looted. The Government has prohibited the display of the Red flag. INCIDENTS IN BERLIN POLICE RESTORE ORDER. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association LONDON, October 23. ■ The Exchange Telegraph’s Berlin corespondent states that numerous small demonstrations occurred last night, and the police were summoned to 40 places, but quickly restored order. The most important incident was in the Ackerstrasse market, where the police dispersed 20,000 who were endeavouring to smash the shutters of shops. The Cabinet has decreed that food shops must be kept open, and that shopkeepers must accept payment in paper marks. The penalty for non-observance of the decree is penal servitude; and plunderers will be similarly punished. LOANS ARRANGED FOR RUHR INDUSTRIALISTS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. BERLIN, October 23. It is reported that Schroeders Bank, in London, is granting a credit of several millions sterling; at 5 per cent, to the German industrialists for the purchase of coal during the next six months, on a guarantee from the Dresdener Bank, the Bleiehroeder Bank, and certain industrial groups. NEW GERMAN NOTE SENT, BUT UNDELIVERED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received; October 24, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, October 23. The • Central News Agency’s Paris correspondent says the German Note dealing with reparations, which was due for delivery on Monday, and which is known to have reached Paris, has not yet been delivered here. This doubtless is due to the developments in the Rhineland. The Reparations Commission yesterday considered the German Government’s memorandum regarding the Belgian experts’ reparations plan, and referred to the Finance Commission, to which dhe plan has already been referred. AMERICA UNAFFECTED COMMENT DECLINED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received October 24, 10.10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, October 23. President Coonuge believes the United States is unable to pass judgment on the changes in Germany, except on their possible effect on tho Versailles or other- treaties to which the United States ij* a party. The President declines to comment.

THE RHINELAND BIG OITIES UNCONVERTED. SEPARATISTS FAILING. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association (Received October 24, 8.5 p.m.) LONDON, October 24. The “Daily Telegraph” correspondent in Brussels states that, so far the new republic has not set the Rhine ablaze. Though a number of smaller towns have accepted the Separatists, the big riverside cities of Mainz, Coblenz, and Cologne are still unconverted. At Aix-la-Chaj>elle the Communists beat four Republicans to death, a large crowd looking on without interfering. When assured of the support of the police, the burgomaster at Aix sent an ultimatum to the Republicans who were barricaded in the Regency buildings, giving them ten minutes to surrender, saying he would storm the place if they resisted, but before he oould carry out the threat, the High Commissioner of Aix-la-Chapelle forbade the police to use force. The Separatists at Bonn, on the Rhine, attacked the police, but were dispersed by a fire brigade with hoses. Later, the Separatists occupied the Town Hall, causing the French troops to clear the building, and place five tanks in the- square. POOR PROSPECTS HALF-HEARTED MOVEMENT. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received October 24, 8.5 p.m.) PARIS, October 24. The latest messages from the Rhineland make it evident that the Separatists have a poor prospect of maintaining the new regime. Most of their supporters are undisciplined men, with no interest in politics, who joined because they wanted an assurance of food. Only the indifference of the masses has allowed the Separatists to go as far as they have done. Th« movement was also helped by the recent disarming of the police in many districts. REACTION APPARENT POLICE IGNORE MOVEMENT. Ant ralian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received October 24, 10.10 p.m.) ■ BRUSSELS, October 24. Messages from the Rhineland state that a republic has been proclaimed at Duisburg. The burgomaster at Crefeld announced that he would resist the Separatists by armed force. The reaction against Separatism is appearing everywhere. The polioe and other officials at Aix have decided to recognise the Berlin Government as the only legal authority. According to a German report, the police have expelled the Separatists and have regained full control in Aix-la-Chapelle and Munchen-Gladbach, after fighting. The Separatists have occupied Bonn, Wiesbaden, Treves, and Duiaburg. The trade unions declared a general strike at Wiesbaden. The Separatist movement up till now lacks homogeneity, apparently through the divergent attitudes of the leaders, Smeets, Mettlies, Dorten, and Deckers. REPUBLICAN MOVE HEADQUARTERS AT DURREN. Reuter’s Telegram. LONDON, October 23. The executive of the Free Rhineland Party has assumed general control of the movement which began at Aix-la-Chapelle, and has installed headquarters at Durren. A Note lias been sent to the interAllied High Commission of the Rhineland announcing the constitution of a provisional Government, which will immediately enter into negotiations with the occupation authorities. NO MOREJAYMENTS TO OCCUPATIONAL ARMIES. Reuter’s Telegram. BERLIN, October 23. Advices from Dusaeldorf state that the burgomaster of Durren decided to remain in office in order to ensure the operation of the public services, declaring that he was acting under instructions from Berlin not to recognise the legality of the Separatist movement. He added that Berlin would probably not send any more money to the Occupied territories in consequence of the revolution, and the municipalities should therefore cease to pay their portion of the expenses of the Allied armies of occupation ,since they were not lltcely to tie reimbursed by the Reich. NEGOTIATION FUTILE Australian and N.Z. Cable Assoeif*'on BERLIN, October 23. The “Vossischo Zeitnng” states that, according to reports from Gelsengirchen yesterday’s negotiations between the Ruhr magnates and the French authorities broke down. ’l'ho industrialists declared that resumption of work on the French terms was impossible.

TO ESCAPE REPARATIONS ? '.OBJECT OF RHINELANDERS. SUSPICION IN FRANCE. Published in #< The Tim*# 9 LONtXIN, October 23. The Paris correspondent of “The Times*’ 5 says that the man on the street is decidedly sceptical about the benefit that France may derive from the break-up of Germany. He suspects that there is an ulterior motive in the minds of the Rhinelanders to escape paying reparations, and that the movement might result in sheltering the richest regions of Germany from the French bailiff. Besides, if the most productive portion of Germany is amputated, what is the prospect of the remainder of Germany making an effort to discharge its obligations ? The Rhinelanders are already hinting that the “Watch on the Rhine,” if entrusted to them, would need a small army, and would not need Allied troops any longer to perform the painful duty of occupying German soil. Eventually the Rhineland, Bavaria, and Saxony would all be asking permission to maintain small armies in self-defence against Prussia. The average Frenchman conjures up a vision of these small armies combining against France. RISING IN_HAMBURC ATTACK ON POLICE STATIONS. BY COMMUNIST MOBS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. BERLIN, October 23. Communists carried out a concerted attack on all the police stations in Hamburg. They stormed and occupied all of them except three, which are still holding out. The municipality is feeding starving Workers. Later. The situation in Hamburg is worse. Communists and strikers caused considerable damage to the Hamburg-Lubeck railway by tearing up the rails and (Growing heavy trees across the metals. The crowds which captured the police stations were ejected. POLICE REINFORCED MUCH DAMAGE DONE. Australian aid N.Z. Cafels Association. (Received October 24. 10.10 p.m.) BERLIN, October 24. The Communists’ rising at Hamburg included women. The police, after losing many stations, were reinforced, and captured the majority, after heavy firing. Trams and tubes were stopped. Newspaper lorries were destroyed, and food shops looted. STREET FIGHTING TWENTY PERSONS KILLED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association’ (Received October 24, 10.10 p.m.) LONDON. October 24. The Central News Agency’s Berlin correspondent states that street fighting and shooting' from the roofs continued at Hamburg till 10 o’clock last night. Twenty persona were killed, and 100 wounded. BAVARIANJNSPUTE SETTLEMENT HOPED FOR. VON LOSSOW’S APPEAL. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Reoeived October 24, 10.10 p.m.) BERLIN, October 24. The Bavarian dispute with the -Reicih has improved. _ It is believed it will be amicably settled. Von Seeckt is expected to resign, in the interests of peace. Von Lossow has sent a wireless appeal to the Reiohswehr garrisons throughout Germany asking them to rally to the defence of the Bavarian Government. “YOUR MAJESTY!” PRINCE RUPPREOHT HAILED BY GOVERNING CLASSES. 9ab]lsb*d in **Th» TlmN.” LONDON, October 23. The Munich correspondent of “The Times” states that at a dinner attended by von Kahr, all the members of the Cabinet, the municipal chiefs, and a most representative gathering of the governing class in Bavaria, the guests rose as one man ais Prince Rupprecht was leaving the hall, clicked their heels, and cried: “Hail, Your Majesty I”•THER STATES LOYAL AND WATCHING BAVARIA. Published in "Th* Times." BERLIN, October 23. Several of the State Governments have proclaimed their loyalty to the Reich. The Government of Thuringia announce that special measures are being taken to protect the frontier against Bavaria. POSITION IN SAXONY GENERAL STRIKE CALLED. Reuter's Telegram. LONDON, October 23. The strength of the Reiohswehr in Saxony ia estimated at 50,000. A Committee of Action has been formed, and has been empowered to call a general strike in Saxony. EXCHANGE FALLING SERIOUS DROP IN STERLING. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received October 24, 5.5 p.m.) NEW YORK, October 23. The news from Germany continues to have an adverse effect on the foreign exchange market, which shows great sensitiveness. Upon opening the market, sterling reached 4.47$ dollars, which represents a decline of 7 cents within the week. The market, however, rallied towards the end of the day, sterling gaining If centc. French francs have lost propoitlonatly more than sterling.