GERMANY

Otago Witness, Issue 3612, 5 June 1923, Page 21

GERMANY

THE COMMUNIST MENACE. FINANCE l-TROM MOSCOW. LONDON, May 27. The Daily Chronicle's Essen correspond ent 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 nropaganda 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 are playing the same game as the French, but judging from what I liave heard it is apparent that if the Communists get the upper hand they will have lit/tie compassion for the French soldiery." MASQUERADING AS BELGIANS. LONDON, May 27. The Daily Mail's Berlin correspondent reports that a new German trick lias been exposed. Some time ago the Belgian authorities received complaints of lawlessness by Belgian soldiers around Aix-la-Chapelle. It was alleged that officers and soldiers were visiting 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 hand was arrested and imprisoned. MINERS ON STRIKE. PARIS MAY 27. The German newspapers estimate tliat 2,000,000 miners and 10,000 ironworkers are on strike. BERLIN, May 28. General Degoutte ordered the German railwaymen to resume work under French authorities within 48 hours, otherwise all tlxise under 60 years would he expelled and those over 60 would be dismissed. Practically every mine in the Ruhr is at a standstill, chiefly owing to terrorism bv the Communist commandos, who visit the pits and forcibly eject the workers. Communists with fixed bayonets are picketing some of the mines to prevent the miners descending. The willingness of many miners to work is evidenced by the voting at Bochum, where 75 per cent, favoured resumption. SERIOUS RIOTING. PARIS, May 27. 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. May 28. It is stated that 19 were killed and 80 wounded during the rioting at Bochum ori May 26. Volunteer police, numbering 2000, whom the French supplied with arms, have restored comparative quiet. The French refused a request by the Prussian Provincial Governor to allow tier

man security police to re-enter the danger zone, but permitted the local police in the occupied zone to be moved to the danger points. Communist rioting is increasing. A police motor, car was blown up by hand grenades at Dortmund, two being killed outright, two fatally wounded, and six ethers wounded. Fighting at Hoerde resulted in two being killed and 60 injured. CASUALTY LIST MOUNTING. BERLIN, May 28. The latest reports of the Communist rising in the Ruhr state that 20 are dead and 200 have been injured. Boclnim spent a troubled night. The Reds and firemen fought for possession of the town, which is now practically cut off, and little news is obtainable, but it is known that there liave been heavy casualties. Taking advantage of the darkness the Communists attacked Dortmund, taking possession of the houses, and having many fierce struggles with the occupants. Open lighting developed this morning, 20 being killed and 80 wounded. The miners at Gelsenkirchen were ordered to leave their work, and the Communists raided the mines, doing serious damage. 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 German" 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. PASSING OF THE JUNKERS. BERLIN, May 29. Post-war changes are illustrated by the new Army List, the first issued since 1913. It consists of only ICO pages instead of being a bulky volume. Many Junker families who had represented the Prussian army for 200 years are no longer to be found in the list. The Billows, of whom 58 were mentioned in 1913, liave been reduced to three. THE EX-KAISER. LONDON, May 29. The Daily Mail's Berlin correspondent states : “Tfie ex-Kaiser’s latest achievement is a complete and elaborate introduction to the Bible, which has been sub mifcted to the Synod of the Evangelical Church to decide on tile matter of publication.' ’ STOPPED ON DUTCH FRONTIER. AMSTERDAM, May 30. Fifty German Communists tried to cross the Dutch frontier at El ten. but they were stopped by the frontier guards. WHOLE DISTRICTS EMIGRATING. LONDON, May 30. The Daily Mail's Strasburg correspon dent says that, as a result of the eco nomic conditions in South Germany, thousands of people are migrating to North and South America. Whole villages are emigrating, intending to found settlements in the Argentine and elsewhere. COMMUNIST MOVEMENT NEGLIGIBLE. LONDON, May 30. A Dusseldorf telegram s tat ex; that the British Labourites—Mr Ben Tillett, Mr Jones, and Air <!. H. Warne—have completed a tour of inquiry in the Ruhr, and they are preparing the report. They are not impressed by the Communist rising, and state that the Bolshevist organisation is chiefly composed of young men. Even sincere Communists among the miners refuse to attach themselves to the movement. Air Tillett said that it was an exhibition of spasmodic ruffianism. AIINERS RETURNING TO W T ORK. BERLIN, May 31. The Communist activities in the Ruhr seem for the moment to be checked. The miners are returning to work, and the local authorities are forming new police organisations. Krupps are printing special notes for the payment of the workmen's wages owing to the recent seizure by the French of 90 milliards of marks at the Essen branch of the Reielisbank. The newspapers learn that the Reic-hs-bank refuses to continue to place its gold reserve at the disposal of the Government for the purpose of supporting the mark, since the Government professes that it has no control over the Reicbsbank on the ground that it is a private institution. This is taken to mean that the mark has been left to its fate. The Reichsbank evidently considers that the Government and the business world failed in their duty to support the mark, and consequently the Reicbsbank refused to pour its resources into a bottomless pit. FINANCE IN CHAOTIC CONDITION. ' BERLIN, Aray 31. The Budget for 1923 has been submitted to the Reichstag. The estimated deficit ia 12,400,000,000,000 marks. This was drawn up prior to the present collapse of the mark and does not take into account the new rise in prices, which have necessitated an all-round rise in wages. The finance, therefore, is simply chaotic, and the effect of the depreciation it is impossible to forsee. LONDON, June 1. Berlin reports that the mark yesterday readied a new low record, 330,000 to the £ sterling, and 70,000 to the dollar. The Daily Telegraph s corre-

spoil dent states that the fundamental cause of the catastrophe is greed and lack of patriotism among the moneyed men in Germany, who refuse to make sacrifices, but actually exploit and aggravate the country's misfortunes in order to fill their own pockets. They declined to subscribe to the dollar loan, and bought up for hoarding purposes the foreign bills which were thrown on the market by the Reichsbank with the object of steadying the mark, thus starting a panic among all classes of the population. ALARAI THROUGHOUT GERMANY. BERLIN, June 2. The collapse of the mark to as low a record as the Austrian krone, which has not happened previously for a century, has produced alarm throughout Germany. Already the cost of living has ascended by leaps and bounds. The workers are in a state of consternation, and have demanded increased salaries. It has been announced that the railway goods rates will be advanced by 50 per cent. BERLIN, June 2. The mark has fallen to 345,0C0 to the pound sterling. COM MU X IS.M AND STRIKES. BER{JX, June 1. The police raided a secret meeting of Communists at Dortmund, and arrested 80 armed men, including a majority of the leaders of the gang which was concerned in the Ruhr fighting. This is expected to stop the lighting for the present. The tramwaymen in Cologne, together with practically the whole of the city authority's employees, including the gravediggers, are on strike. The British arrested four of the leaders responsible for organising the strike on the ground that their action was not sanctioned oy the unions. BERLIN, June 2. Fresh disturbances, mainly economic, have broken out in Saxony. Two persons were killed and six were wounded.