WITHIN GERMANY.

Southland Times, Issue 17962, 13 December 1918, Page 4

WITHIN GERMANY.

The armistice had not been signed twelve hours before Germany began to send out panic reports of imminent famine. Day after day we were told that the food stocks in Germany were almost done and that unless the Allies immediately relieved the position a hunger revolution was inevitable, leading to conditions of anarchy similar to those in Russia. From the first these reports were doubted, and they quite failed to move the Allies to relax the armistice terms. The Allies declined absolutely to lift the embargo on German shipping, either •in home or in neutral ports. The Allies insisted upon the delivery of the 150,000 railway waggons, which the Germans agreed to surrender in terms of the armistice. They also required Germany to hand over the 5000 locomotives stipulated for in the armistice, and Marshal Foch made it clear that he wanted 5000 of the best locomotives in Germany’s possession. Obviously the Allies have all along had their doubts of these famine reports, and it is a singular thing that in that part of Germany which has now been occupied, the whole western part up to the Rhine, the inhabitants- of the towns are found to be in a.fairly comfortable position as regards food, clothing and other necessities. The armies of occupation have found no evidence of great hardship or privation. Similarly the whole of eastern Belgium was found to be rich and prosperous. The country had been but little disturbed by war, the towns were bright and busy, good harvests had been gathered in, and no obvious signs of- distress met the eye. If Germany had been so desperately hard up for food as she now tries to make out eastern Belgium would have been stripped to provide for the necessities of Berlin, Hamburg, and other large cities. If there had been starvation at Berlin food would not have been as plentiful at Treves as the Allies found it. The whole situation in Germany at the present time excites distrust and suspicion. The royalties disappeared quite too unanimously and too suddenly,, and the professions of the new government were almost too virtuous. It is difficult, for instance, to believe in the sincerity of Herr Erzberger’s assurance that the guards guilty of the maltreatment of prisoners in Germany’s prison camps will be brought to trial and rigorously punished. The German today is the German that we knew yesterancl the leopard does not change his spots. France has never had much confidence in the alleged abdication of the Kaiser and the Crown Prince’s renunciation of his rights of succession. The whole thing looks “fishy,” and the attitude' of the Allies at present seems to be one of suspended judgment. They will find out the truths for themselves, and if the armistice terms are not complied with to the letter they may, as the German Government seems to apprehend, occupy Berlin in -order to make certain of things. The conditions which the Allies have found in eastern Belgium and western Germany certainly disprove the famine reports which Germany is sending out, and investigation by a representative of the Allies might, disclose a very different .political and industrial position from that which is outlined in the irresponsible, inconsistent and often contradictory telegrams that we receive from Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Berne, and other centres.