GERMAN CHAOS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19001, 25 October 1923, Page 7

GERMAN CHAOS

RHINELAND SEPARATION. FRENCH SCEPTICISM. ULTERIOR MOTIVES ASSIGNED. Press Association —By 'reiegtoph —Copyrisjit LONDON, October 23. The Paris correspondent of The Times says that the man in the street is decidedly sceptical regarding any beneu that jjVance is likely to derive lit" 1 a break-up of Germany. He suspects uUerxor motives on the part of the ■ Rhinelanders to escape tire payment of reparations. The movement might result in snelteiin-, the richest regions of Germany from tie French bailiff. Besides this, he asks u the most productive portion of Germany is amputated what is the prospect ot the remainder of Germany making an etlort to discharge its obligations. In the second place, the Rhinelanders are already liintin<* that a watch on the Rhine, it entrusted to them, would need a small armv, and they would not need the All ea troops any longer performing the painful duty of occupying German sou. Eventually the Rhineland, Bavaria, and Saxony would all bs requesting permission to maintain small armies in sendefence against Prussia. The Frenchman conjures up a vision ot tnese small armies combining against Trance. The Times.

RHINELAND REPUBLIC. ESTABLISHMENT OF HEADQUARTERS. BERLIN, October 23. Advices from Dusseldorf state that the towns up to the present occupied by the Separatists include Crefeld, Ladems, ana Mimchen-Gladbach. The burgomaster of Darren has decided to remain in office in order to ensure the operation of the public services, declaring that ho is acting on instructions from Berlin not to recognise the legality of the Separatist movement, and adding that Berlin would probably not send more money to the occupied territories in consequence of the revolution, and the municipalities should therefore cease to their portion of the expenses of the Allied armies of occupation, since they are unlikely to be reimbursed by the Reich. The executive of the Free Rhineland Party has assumed general control of the. movement, which was begun at Aix-la-Ghapelle, and has installed its headquarters at Durren. A note was sent to the Inter-Allied High Commission _ in the Rhineland announcing the constitution of the new Government, which will immediately enter into negotiations with the occupation authorities. —A. and N.A. Cable

SIGNS OF COLLAPSE. POLICE! EXPEL SEPARATISTS. BERLIN, October 23. It is reported Drat the police expelled the Separatists and regained full control at Aix-la-Ghapelle and Munchen-Glad-bach, after some fighting. A reaction against Separation is reported to be spreading.—A. and N.Z. Cable, PROSPECTS UNPROMISING. INDIFFERENCE OF THE MASSES. PARIS. October 24. (Received Oct. 24, at 8.45 p.m.) Later messages from the Rhineland make it evident that the Separatists hav© poor prospects 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. The movement has also been helped by the recent disarming of the police in many districts. LONDON, October 24.

The Daily Telegraph’s Brussels correspondent states that so far the new Republic has not set the Rhine ablaze. Though a number of the smaller towns have accepted the Separatists the largo riverside cities of Mainz, Coblenz, and Cologne are still unconverted. At Aix-la-Chapelle Communists beat four Republicans to death, a large crowd looking on without interfering. When he was assured of the support of the police the Burgomaster at Aix-la-Chapclle sent an ultimatum to the Republicans who were barricaded in the Regency buildings giving them 10 minutes to surrender and saying he would storm the place if they resisted. Before he could carry out his 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 the 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. — Reuter.

DISLOCATION OF INDUSTRY THYSSEN WOJIKS CLOSE DOWN. LONDON, October 25. The Yossische Zeitung states that reports from Gelsenkirchen state that yesterday’s negotiations between the Ruhr magnates and the french authorities broke down. The industrialists declared that a resumption of work was impossible on the French terms. A telegram from Essen states that the Thyssen works have closed down owing to financial difficulties, rendering idle 13,000 hands.—Reuter. CREDIT OBTAINED IN LONDON. BERLIN, October 20. It is reported that Schroeder’s 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 Dresden Bank, the Bleicbroeder Bank, and certain industrial groups.—A. and N.Z. Cable. BAVARIAN DEFIANCE. APPEAL TO THE REICHSWEHR. LONDON, October 23. Munich messages state that General Von Lossow has sent wireless messages to the Reichswebr garrisons throughout Germany appealing to them to rally to the Bavarian Government’s defence. The Munich correspondent of The Times states that at a dinner which was attended by Dr von Kahr, all the members of the Cabinet, the municipal chiefs, and most of the representatives of the governing class in Bavaria rose as one man as Prince 'Rupprccht was leaving the hall, clicked their heels, and cried: Hail your Maicsty I” —The Times and A. and N.Z. Cables. SITUATION IN SAXONY. GENERAL STRIKE THREATENED. LONDON, October 23. Dresden reports state that a Committee of Action has been formed. It is empowered to call a general strike in Saxony. BERLIN, October 23. The strength of the Reiolxswehr in Saxony is estimated at 50,000.—Reuter. LOYALTY TO THE REICH. LONDON, October 23. Several of the State Governments have proclaimed their loyalty to the Reich, and the Government of Thnringa announces that special measures are being taken to protect the frontier against Bavaria.—The Times.

WIDESPREAD RISINGS. STRIKES AND FOOD RIOTS. AN UNHAPPY CHANCELLOR. LONDON, October 23. Berlin reports state that economic turmoil is increasing Dr Stresemann s troubles. Strikes have already broken out in tho shipyards at Hamburg and among the coal miners in Central Germany for increased wages. The Berlin ■workers have jointly threatened to strike within three days, failing the introduction of a, scheme for payment in a stable currency. All the bakeries in the capital were looted.

The Government has prohibited the display of tho Red Flag. Count. Ivanitz, a member cf the Reichstag, has been appointed Minister of Food. The Nationalists demand the resignation of the Cabinet. The Daily Telegraph’s Berlin correspondent states that there were numerous small demonstrations last night. The police were summoned to 40 places, but they quickly restored order. The most important incident took place at the Ackerstrasse Market, where the police dispersed 20,000 persons who were endeav curing to smash the shutters of the shops. Cabinet has decreed that the food shops must be kept open, and the shopkeepers must accept payment in paper marks. The penalty for non-observance of this decree is penal servitude. Plunderers will be similarly punished.—A. and N.Z. Cable and Reuter.

SPECTRE OF STARVATION. A CITY OF CONTRASTS. BERLIN, October 24. (Received Oct. 24, at 8.45 p.m.) The centre of the city is a terrible spectacle. A thousand men and women who are unable to buy food are patrolling the streets in an ugly mood. Fortunately the starving Berliners have little energy left for revolt although the Communists are doing their utmost to incite them to plunder. Great queues of housewives with haggard faces wait for hours outside the bakers’ shops in the hope o' getting a loaf of rye bread. Yet the Berlin theatres are crowded, the popular cafes are packed, and the cookshops are displaying fancy cakes. Nearly all the other shops are closed and. the fronts are heavily barricaded. The police are sn strongly armed that the city has tho appearance of a military occupation. Similar reports come from most of C industrial towns in Germany where the foodless and workless demonstrators threaten to go over to the Communists. Street fighting is in progress in Stettin where the dockyards are idle and where the work-less are looting the shops.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

DISORDER IN HAMBURG. COMMUNISTS MAKE TROUBLE. BERLIN,-October 23. Communists carried out a concerted attack on all the police stations in Hamburg. They stormed and occupied them all except three, which are still holding out. The municipality is feeding the starving workers. A later message reports that the situation in Hamburg has grown worse. The Communists and strikers caused considerable damage to the Lubeck railway, tearing up the rails and throwing heavy trees across the track.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

FURTHER OCCUPATIONS. BERLIN, October 23. The Separatists have occupied Bonn, Wiesbaden, Treves, and Duisburg. The trade unions have declared a general strike at Wiesbaden. The Separatist movement up to the present : has lacked homogeneity, apparently through the divergent attitudes of the leaders—Smeets, Matthes, Dorten, and Decker. During a disturbance at Hamburg the crowds captured the police stations, but they were later ejected.—Reuter. THE AMERICAN EXCHANGE. ADVERSE EFFECT CONTINUES. NEW YORK, October 23. (Received Oct. 24, at 7.49 p.m,) The news from Germany continues to have an adverse effect on the foreign exchange market which shows great sensitiveness. At the opening of the market sterling reached 4.47| which represents a decline of 7 cents within a •week. The market, however, rallied towards the end of the day, sterling gaining 1| cents. French francs have lost proportionately more than sterling.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

, NEW GERMAN NOTE. ITS DELIVERY DELAYED. LONDON, October 23. (Received Oct. 24, at 7.40 p.m.) The Central News Agency’s Paris correspondent says that the German Not© 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 is doubtless due to the developments in Rhineland. The Reparations Commission yesterday considered the German Government’s memorandum regarding the Belgian experts’ reparations plan and referred the memorandum to the Finance Commission to which the plan lias already been referred.—A. and N.Z. Cable. At the end of May the Belgian Government, through its experts, drafted a reparation scheme which was presented to the French Government for examination. The Belgian plan dealt with all possible sources of taxation, and suggested the creation of State monopolies for alcohol, tobacco, and salt, the control of railway administration, a lien upon Budget surplusses, and mortgages upon other possible revenues. The Belgians considered that 2,400,000,000 gold marks *£120,000,COO) a year could be drawn from Germany. It was proposed to constitute in Germany a series of large organisations for the sale and exploitation of certain products, the exploitation of German property, and the administration of the railways. The monopolies would be placed in the hands of international syndicates, in which it was proposed that the Allies should participate considerably. Furthermore, a participation of 50 per cent, in German industries was contemplated, which would secure an additional yield which could not yet be accurately estimated. The . raising of international loans would be postponed until a later date. An indispensable condition was that Germany should rehabilitate her finances by the artificial stabilisation of the mark and that she should balance her Budget. It was proposed that the Ruhr should bp part of the territories to provide the resources of the Reich.