GERMANY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18874, 29 May 1923, Page 7

GERMANY.

TERRORISM IN THE RUHR

FINANCE FROM. MOSCOW,

THE COMMUNIST MENACE

Press Association —By Telegraph— Copyright . LONDON, May 27. The Daily Chronicle’s Essen correspondent says : “Communist terrorism is spreading .throughout the Ruhr. One is almost persuaded that the struggle is between Paris and Moscow. In the opening stages there was little doubt that the rising was directly inspired and financed from Moscow, from which 100,000 gold roubles were openly passed through a German bank to the Ruhr. The Bolshevist propaganda is equally open. Everywhere in the Ruhr Russian flour is distributed freely. There are Russian flour distributing centres around Cologne.' At present the Communists are allowed to carry arms because they arc playing the same game as the French, but judging from what I have heard it is apparent that if the Communists get the upper hand they will have little compassion for the French soldiery. —A. and N.Z. Cable. STRIKE MOVEMENT SPREADING. BERLIN, May 27. A meeting of the executive of the Communist Workers’ Council, held at Essen, decided to extend the strike movement throughout Westphalia and the right bank of the Rhine.—Reuter. GERMAN TRICKERY.

MASQUERADING AS BELGIANS. LONDON, May 27. The Daily Mail’s Berlin cm* ispondent reports that a new German trie.'- nas been exposed. Some time ago the Belgian authorities received complaints of lawlessness by Belgian soldiers aiound Aix-la-Chapelle. 'lt was alleged that officers and soldiers were vis'ting manor-houses at night time and forcing the residents to surrender money and valuables, and that when resistance was offered the soldiers used firearms and wounded several people. The police have now discovered that a band of German youths had purloined Belgian uniforms and had committed these outrages. The band was arrested and imprisoned.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

RIOTING AT BOCHUM. STRIKERS ATTACK FIREMEN. . FOUR KILLED AND MANY INJURED. PARIS, May 27. (Received May 28, at 7.10 p.m.) Fighting between the strikers and the firemen and police continues in Bochum. The strikers demanded the dismissal of the firemen, and when this was refused they stormed the fire brigade headquarters, four persons being killed and many wounded. —A. and N.Z. Cable. MINERS AND IRONWORKERS OVER 2,000,000 ON STRIKE. PARIS MAY 27. (Received May 28, at 7.10 p.m.) The German newspapers estimate that 2,000,000 miners and 10,000 ironworkers are on strike.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

UTTER OCCUPATION. INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISTS’ PROTEST. LONDON, May 27. The Hamburg International Socialist Congress adopted resolutions protesting against the Allies driving the German people into the arms of the Nationalists and Monarchists, and appealing to the German workers to resist to the utmost sabotage by German capitalists, who refuse to make the sacrifices necessary to enable Germany to meet her obligations; also protesting against the occupation of the Ruhr. The British delegates abstained from voting on the resolution. They protested against any attempt by Imperialistic Powers to intervene in the internal affairs of Russia.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

GUARANTEEING REPARAv TIONS. GERMAN INDUSTRIALISTS’ SCHEME, LONDON, May 28. (Received Hay 28, at 8.25 p.m.) ■ The Daily Chronicle’s Berlin correspondent reports that the Executive of the Federation of Industrialists presented Dr Cano with a detailed scheme for guaranteeing the reparations. They propose that a proportion of their immovable property, including factories' macht nery, shall be mortgaged to the State, the owners paying interest, which will be allocated in fulfilment of Germany s obligations. The industrialists hope that their offer will cover 40, per cent, of the reparations payments. They propose that the remaining 60 per cent, i will ho covered ,hy similar action on the part of other interests, s particularly agriculture They point out that the agriculturists have paid off their mortgages with depreciated paper marks, and so all the great estates are free of debt and benefit by the cheap labour and grain subsidies. —A. and N..Z. Cable. (Received May 28, at 8.45 p.m.) Other interests ’ expected t<> contribute are the banks and shipping companies, which will be asked to allocate a proportion of their gold reserves. The in dustrialists, however, demand equal treatment in international trade, and that Germany shall no longer be required necessarily to assent to any most favoured nation arrangement which the Entente Powers may make among themselves. Thev also ask for the removal of the German Government’s restrictions upon trade, such as import, export licenses, and they require that the railways, post offices, and other State concerns shall be placed upon a remunerative basis. I* inallv they ask that the workers shah contribute to the reparations, presumably by assenting to the abolition of the eighthour day.—A. and N.Z. Cable. REPARATIONS AND 'WAR DEBTS. AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. PARIS, May 27. Signor Mussolini will visit Paris at the end of June. Italy has been suggesting for some time that the moment is nowopportune to review the whole field of Europeon politics. It is reported, but not confirmed officially, that preparations are afoot for holding a new international conference on reparations and inter-Allied debts.—A. and N.Z. Cable.