MEMEL OCCUPATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18763, 17 January 1923, Page 5

MEMEL OCCUPATION

HEAVY STREET fIGHTISG. Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright BERLIN, January 15. The Lokal Anzoigcr reports heavy street fighting at Memcl, where the Lithuanians are now in complete possession.—A. and N.Z. Cable. PANIC-STRICKEN CO UNTRY. GARRISON WITHOUT AMMUNITION. BERLIN, January 15. (Received Jan. 16, at 8.5 p.m.) The final Lithuanian attack on Memel was made by several hundred volunteers, under Simonditis, the head of the Government which the invaders established. The invaders penetrated the outskirts of the town during the morning, and then demanded the surrender of the French garrison, numbering 200. The latter’s position is hopeless, as their ammunition has run out. British and French warships are approaching, but they cannot arrive till to-night. Panic prevail,-, throughout the territory. All the workers have downed tools. It is believed that the invasion is intended to spoil Poland’s claim to take over the territory.—A. and N.Z. Cable. LITHUANIANS’ SUCCESS. GARRISON DISARMED. BERLIN, January 16.

(Received Jan. 16, at 10.30 p.m.) The Lithuanians, after fighting all day long, occupied Memel, and disarmed the French garrison.—A. and N.Z. Cable. A LITTLE KNOWN LAND. PROSPEROUS AND HAPPY. An interesting account of Memel and its people appeared some time ago ,in the Morning Post, whose special correspondent wrote: —The Momel-Laml (after Danzig) is Iho smallest of the States created by the Versailles Treaty makers. At Pogogon, the ■first station across the Memel, now creeping sluggishly to the IlafT between wide stretches of frozen marshes under its winter covering of ice. there is a 20 minutes’ halt for the traveller, in order that the authorities of Memel-Land may examine the credentials of passengers. There are French uniforms on the platform, and a sous-officer of the Chasseurs Alpina keeps an eye on things in the passport office; but the officials are Germans, in no way to be distinguished from their follows on the Prussian side of the river, for the Memel Government recruits its officials from its own population. An hour later the train rolls into MemeJ, a comfortable little town, which for the time being is chiefly concerned in making tho most of its own fortunes. The Prussian Government lias left it, as a memorial of itself, a huge seminary for elementary school teachers, big enough, one would

think, to house all the schoolmasters of Ostol'bia. Otherwise the chief monument of Mcmel’s German past is the Simon Dach fountain, with the srutuc of Aonchenn von I'harau, in front of the theatre. Memol-Land is the strip of territory which lies between the course of the Memel (Niomen), including its southern arm and the former Russian frontier, now the border of Lithuania. Its greatest length from Momel to Schmallenmgken is about 80 miles. Its greatest width about a quarter of that distance. It is a flat, well watered, pastoral country, well slocked with beeves and swine, and, indeed, able to pull its own weight and something over in the matter of food production. But McmclLand has another ami still more important

source of wealth. Its hinterland is rich agricultural Lithuania., with its great forests. Lithuania has no port of its own, and its timber and flax, especially the former, are floated down the Memel to Uio Kurisches ItafT and up the I Lift' again to the port of Memel. The Haft' is a broad expanse of Baltic water, which is shut off from the main sea by a narrow strip of sand—the Kurische Nehrung. The only passage across the Nehrung is at Memel itself, and it is only through the Momel. channel that the Lithuanian timber can reach the sea. The

point is of importance for the British taxpayer, because tho chief purchaser of Lithuanian timber is His Majesty’s Government. which has huge contracts with Lithuania, and is thus indirectly the chief employer of labour in the port of Memel. Tho Morn el territory is administered by French officials under the authority of the Council of Ambassadors in Paris. The administrator is M. Petisne, who left a prefecture in Franco to take over his present charge in this far eastern corner of the Baltic. He is assisted by sub-prefects, one for each of the “Kreiso” into which the territory was formerly divided, and one or two French specialists in matters of finance and Customs. Otherwise tho officials and \he police are of native slock.

The army consists of a battalion of Cliassours Alpine, under (he command of General Odry. The Government has never had to call upon tho services of the troops, and one rees for oneself that tho townspeople and tho soldiers are on perfectly friendly terms.

The legislative authority is the Council of Stale, which meets under tho presidency of the French prefect, and consists of representatives of tho Chambers of Commerce and Agriculture, of (he country districts, and of tho Trade Unions. There is also n ministry, styled Council of Government, which consists of six members, all Memolers. Laws are promulgated in tho name of the Allied and Associated Powers.

Mcmcl-land. with its population of 120,000, is undoubtedly one of the most prosperous corners of Central Europe, and as food is much more abundant and cheap, the poorer classes are evidently better otT than their brethren in the Reich. Indeed, on the Prussian side of tho Memel, they will iell you that Momei’s inost valuable possession is its frontier which enables the Memel people to keep their fat cattle and pigs, (heir butter and wheat for themselves, and to export what (hey do not require to Holland at a fabulous gain on exchange. Naturally, if the country wore still in the Reich, no food would be exported; although it is doubtful if much of it would ever reach hungry Berlin even in that case. That food is much more abundant in (he Memel territory than in Germany cannot bo nuestioned. There are no food cards at all. The neoplo oat white bread, such as we eat in England, a luxury that cannot ho obtained anywhere in Germany, and in the market-place you see old peasant women selling huge globes of butter, cheese, and other country produce, a sight not to he seen in any German town. Prices are about half those current in Berlin. Tho streets swarm with legions of warmly-clad children, tumbling about in the snow like polar hear cubs, snowballing each other, and hitting their elders with deadly accuracy. They certainly are not under-nourished. Tho little town, with its 50.000 inhabitants. boasts 50 millionaires. They reckon their millions in paper marks, it is true, hut even a naper million goes a long way in Memel-Land.

Morncl is never closed by ice. In 1920. 688 vessels entered tho port, and 697 sailed flom it. The sm-borno trade —154,728 lons were imported last year and about the same quantity exported—is chiefly carried in British sbips. The town lias 18 sawmills, two big timber works, a really important cellulose factory, employing many hundreds of men, and a railway wagon works, which is looking abroad for custom and has secured important orders from Rumania,

Mcmcl is quite German. You hear no language but German, and in the town of Momel you will not find half a dozen shop signs in Lithuanian. For the present Ibn territory enjoys so many advantages (notably exemption from. war taxation), that discontent hardly finds its way to the surface : but there can bo little doubt that if a plebiscite -were bold, the territory would vote for re-incorporation in Germany.