REPARATION DEMANDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18198, 19 March 1921, Page 10

REPARATION DEMANDS

ALLIES’ CUSTOMS BARRIER. FRANCE’S EXPECTATIONS. Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. COBLENZ, March 17. The Allies’ new Customs barrier will operate within a week. France is hoping to gain substantially from it, but in some quarters little is expected. It is pointed out by doubters that the , total yield of all the German taxation is only £3,000,000,000, of which the Rhine Customs provide only a fraction.—A. and N.Z. Cable. SILESIAN PLEBISCITE. GERMAN CAMOUFLAGE. PARIS, March 17. , The Petit Parisien states that the Germans in Upper Silesia have established a widespread secret organisation preparatory to the plfebiscite. This organisation able to control 180,000 emigrants, who are really camouflaged shock troops. Twenty thousand soldiers have been secretly incorporated in the .plebiscite roll, and a further 20,000 demobilised men are working the mines, ready to vote unitedly according to their leader’s dictation.—A. and N.Z. Cable. GERMAN TROOPS ON THE FRONTIER. WITHDRAWAL DEMANDED BY FRANCE. PARIS, March 18. (Received March 18, at 7.20 p.m.) France has requested Germany to withdraw her'troops from the Silesian border, or to accept the responsibility for the consequences.—A. and N.Z. Cable. UPPER SILESIAN FRONTIER. MASSING OF POLISH TROOPS. GERMANY’S PROTEST TO BRITAIN. LONDON, March 17. It is understood that the German Government sent a Note to Britain protesting against the alleged massing of Polish troops on the Upper Silesian frontier, contending that this contravenes the arrangements and is intended to intimidate the populace.—A. and N.Z. Cable.