GERMANY'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17215, 18 January 1918, Page 5

GERMANY'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS

NEWS PROM AMERICA. PITIABLE CONDITIONS IN GERMANY. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. NEW YORK, January 16. The Chicago Daily News's Paris correspondent has interviewed two Americans from Russia, who were permitted to travel through Germany because the authorities were grateful for their care of German prisoners in Russia. They were surprised at the Allies' surprising ignorance of Germany's weakness.

They declare that conditions in Germany are pitiable. Tho people are starving, and are haggard, wan, and listless. They believe tho next offensive will be the finish for Germany. The pan-Germans' present demand for a dictatorship is a sign of collapse, as thrj people are beginning to resent militarisxi savagely.

PAN-GERMANS ATTACKED,

DR DERNBERG BITTER

AMSTERDAM, January 16. Dr Dernßerg, speaking at Frankfort, bitterly attacked the pan-Germans. He ridiculed their demands for annexations arid indemnities.

There was not enough gold in the world, be declared, to pay the cost of tho war. Germany had no power to compel payment of long-dated instilments from England or America. The value of the mineral-producing districts of Longwyand Briey was £150,000.000, which amount was about the cost oF the war for 25 days.

The idea of taking the German colonies was equally illusory. Germany's capital outlay upon her colonies before the war produced only £5,000,000 a year, which was the cost of the war for one day, from 6 o'clock in the morning to 8 o'clock at nicht.

A general disarmament was essential. The cost of the air-war alone was equal to the whole German Army Budget before the wax , , and the cost of armaments on the new scale would obviously be unbearable.

DESERTING AVIATOR'S REPORT.

MUTINIES OF DAILY OCCURRENCE. Australian anrl N.Z. Cable Association. WASHINGTON, January 16. (Received Jan. .17, at 11.30 p.m.) Official advices from Greece state that a German aviator, a deserter, reports that daily there are mutinies in the German army. Hundreds are starving and deserting.