GERMANY

Otago Witness, Issue 3549, 28 March 1922, Page 17

GERMANY

GOLD FOR ENGLAND. DF.RLIX, March 19. Frankfort reports state that 50,000.000 gold marks—almost the whole of the reserve in the Beichbank —will be shipped to England next week, exclusively for Security in financing German purchases of foodstuffs and raw materials. It cannot be touched in connection with reparations. BELGIAN SHOOTS GERMAN. BRUSSELS, March 25. A Belgian soldier shot a German officer in the occupied territory who was bearing arms contrary to orders. A Belgian pointed out the fact, and the Germai knocked him down. Another Belgian came to his comraue's assistance and shot the German with a revolver. As a reprisal for the shooting of a German officer, four young Germans at Duisburg jumped on to a train and shot Lieutenant Graff, son of a Belgian genera', in cold blood. THE ALLIES’ DEMANDS. BERLIN, March 23. The Reparations Commission has hande: Germany a Note demanding £36,000,00. in cash and £72,500,000 in kind. Gei many is also required to raise £46,000,000 by new taxation and to inaugurate a drastic scheme of reduction in Government expenditure, which must he submitted to the Entente by April 1. The Note, which is practically- a time-limited ultimatum, ah- o insist that Germany shall raise internal and foreign loans in default of which the commission will put into process a levy on German capital. AH MV OF OCCUPATION. NEW YORK, March 20. The Secretary for War (Mr Weeks) announces that President Harding has directed the return of all American troops from Germany. WASHINGTON, March 22. The State Department, in a Note to the Allies, points out that they cannot raise technical objections to the United States receiving a share of the cost of the occupation oi Herman territory on the ground that she is not a signatory to the Versailles ! reaty. in view of the fact that Germany explicitly consented to priority being given to American costs, notwithstanding that she did not ratify the Versailles Treaty. The Note also points out that the United States will welcome the Allies’ suggestions for a reasonable adjustment of the matter, but pending such considerations the United States hopes that the Allies will refrain from the distribution of funds to the exclusion of the United States.

POLITICAL CHAOS FEARED. BERLIN, March 23. The Reparations Commission’s Note has created the deepest impression. The conditions proposed are completely unacceptable, and the political leaders fear that the question will lead to political chaos. It is declared that if the Entente desires the closest union between a German Communistic Government and Bolshevist Russia, no other plan than that proposed need be proffered. BERLIN'S UPROAR NOT SERIOUS. LONDON, March 23. The Daily Telegraph’s Berlin correspondent states that the uproar over the Reparation Commission’s Note was not very serious. It was largely stage thunder, which would have rumbled just as loudly if the Commission had proposed the corn plete cancellation of Germany’s debts. A large proportion of the noise was due to party tactics in order to prove that Republican Governments are essentially bad and weak. Among the factors which will exercise a calming effect will be the annual report of the Handelsgesellchaft, the first of Berlin’s big banks, whose last year’s balance sheet shows a net profit of 62,000,000 marks, and, after placing 40,000,000 marks to reserve, it will pay a dividend of 16 per cent. COMPULSORY LOAN. BERLIN, March 24. The Government has announced a compulsory loan proposal in consequence of the Reparations Note. Ministerial circles regard the whole of the taxation programme as useless.