GERMANY MUST PAY

Southland Times, Issue 17962, 13 December 1918, Page 5

GERMANY MUST PAY

BRITAIN’S PEACE POLICY,

ABOLITION OF CONSCRIPTION. BRITISH NAVY FOR DEFENCE. GERMANY MUST PAY INDEMNITIES. PUNISHMENT OF WAR CRIMINALS. . EXPULSION OF ALIENS. LONDON, December 11. Received December 12, 11.5 p.m, Mr • Lloyd George, speaking at Bristol, said that conscription was introduced into Britain to meet an emergency and when the need passed the Act would lapse. There was no intention of renewing it. The Feace Conference would urge the abolition of the Continental conscript armies in order to prevent the horrors of war and secure permanent peace. Any Peace Conference perpetrating European conscription would be a farce and a sham. The British Navy was a defensive, not an offensive, weapon. Therefore we did not mean to give it up.— (Cheers.) The Premier reiterated that as far as Germany’s capacity admitted she must pay the cost of the war to the last penny. The Allies’ war hill was £24,000,000,000, and it was inconceivable that the losers, who were in the wrong, should pay leas than the winners, who were in the right. Ihe Premier here pointed out that owing to our naval expenditure and the way Britain had paid and treated her soldiers our war bill was immensely heavier than Germany’s. The European allies were unanimous that the ex-Kaiser and his accomplices must be held responsible for war crimes, and he hoped that President Wilson was of the same opinion. Information in the possession of the Government showed that the ex-Crown Prince was probably the prime instigator of the war. Mr Lloyd George deprecated Germany being allowed to pay the indemnities by dumping sweated goods. He was against keeping for a long time a large standing army of occupation in Germany, which would be bad business industrially. German aliens would not remain long in Britain. They were going to be fired out and there would be no more coming in.— (Loud cheers.) GERMANYjMUST PAY. TO THE UTTERMOST FARTHING. , MR ASQUITH’S DECLARATION. t. LONDON, December 11. Received December 12, midnight. The Rt. Hon. H. H. Asquith, speaking Zt Nottingham, favoured the exaction of the uttermost farthing from the wrong-doer, but condemned an aggressive economic boycott. There must be a clean slate. When repatriation had been obtained conscription in Great Britain must be abolished in accordance with the understanding when it was introduced. BRITAIN’S STANDING ARMY. AN INDISCREET LETTER. LONDON, December 11. Following the coalition declaration of the Government’s policy to influence the Peace Conference in favour of world-wide abolition of conscription and Mr Lloyd George’s denial that Britain intends to retain an army of four million young men for four years, Mr Thomas, secretary to the railwaymen, speaking at Manchester, read a letter, the authenticity whereof he was prepared to vouch, from a general of the War Office to a colleague stating that it was intended to maintain a national army of twenty divisions, “but nothing will be disclosed until after the elections and not till the League of Nations nonsense has been discussed.” The letter explains that the training will include four years during the school period, a year’s service upon reaching the age of nineteen years, anti brief periods of training up to forty years. THE ARMISTICE TERMS. FOCH STERNLY ENFORCES TERMS. PARIS, December 11. Received December 12, 9.5 p.m. Marshal Foch informed the German delegates, who demanded free communication with the occupied Rhineland, that traffic between the occupied zone and the neutral zone could not be permitted in view of the necessity of maintaining the blockade of, Germany, in accordance with the armistice. , BRITISH DEMOBILISATION. ALLOWANCE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT. LONDON, December 11. Received December 12, midnight. j The Press Bureau states that the Government is increasing the unemployment demobilisation donation by five shillings weekly in the case of men and women and half-a-crown in the case of employees who are minors. Men will now' receive 29/- and . women 25/- a week. i

“To the Last Penny 1 * MR. LLOYD GEORGE’S STATEMENT “To the Uttermost Farthing’’ MR. ASQUITH’S STATEMENT British Navy for Defence PUNISHMENT OF WAR CRIMINALS Grown Prince the Prime Instigator FOCH ENFORCES ARMISTICE TERMS (By Telegraph—Press Asm.—Copyright.)] {Australian and NJS. Cable Association.)

THE BRITISH PEACE DELEGATION

PROBABLE LABOUR MEMBER. LONDON, December 11. Received December 12, midnight. It is unofficially announced that the Labour Minister, Mr J. R. Clynes, will be included in the British delegation -the Peace Conference. THE SERVILE GERMAN. DEFERENCE TO THE ALLIES. CAMOUFLAGE SUSPECTED, 2 PARIS, December 11. 3 Received December 12, 7.55 p.m. s A French correspondent with the British 1 armies states that the inhabitants of r j Rhenish Prussia are everywhere obsequis j ously welcoming the Allies’ tYoops and at--2 j tempting to conciliate the victors with all 1 \ sorts of civilities. Little Huns shout “Hurl | rah.” Little girls make most elegant court- . j sies. Windows are decorated with tri- - | colour cockades. Orchestras play French s ■ airs. The correspondent is sure that this > ■ is all camouflage ordered by the higher : I quarters. i ! HUN BESTIALITY. | MOTHERS OF WRONGED GIRLS. r r CALL KAISER TO ACCOUNT. PARIS, December 11. r t Received December 12, 7.55 p.m. ' A group of mothers at Lille are endeav--1 curing to secure the prosecution of the 2 Kaiser on the ground that German officers 1 abducted their daughters and distributed 1 them amongst German soldiers. I THE EBERT GOVERNMENT, 3 POSITION MORE SECURE. > THE HAGUE, December 11. Received December 12, 7.55 p.m. It is believed that the German Government has mastered the situation. Herr Ebert (Chancellor) assured a large demonstration that the Government would energetically pursue a programme of work, bread, peace, free democracy and socialism. SCHIEDEMANN NOT TOO SURE. GOVERNMENT’S UNCOMFORTABLE I SEAT. ’ WASHINGTON, December 10. | Received December 12, 8.10 p.m. Schiedemann, the leader of the Majority . Socialists, is anxious to resign from the German Government in consequence of the activity of the Spartacus (Extremist) groups. He said that the Government had ninety per cent, of the German people behind them, but were sitting on a keg of powder. GERMANY’S TURKISH TOOLS. EXTRADITION DEMANDED. i COPENHAGEN, December 11. Received Dec. 12, midnight. A message from Berlin states that the I Turkish Ambassador has demanded the extradition of the ex-Grand Vizier and exmembers of the Government. A German semi-official message says that the extradition of Talaat Bey is out of the question. THE WAR SETTLEMENT. SOUTH AFRICAN VIEWS. CAPETOWN, December 11. Received December 12, 1.55 p.m. A deputation of representatives from national towns presented f6 the Premier resolutions— (1) condemning German treat- i ment of prisoners; (2) in favour of re- ! taining the German . colonies; (3) de- i mantling the prohibition of imports from ! enemy countries and the confiscation of i enemy firms; and (4) legislation to make i • trading with the enemy impossible in fu- j ture. The Premier replied that the first ! two questions would be decided at the j Peace Conference. Regarding the others he I pointed out that one of President Wilson’s j points precluded an economic war after ' peace. I THE KAISER UNCOMMUNICATIVE. IN VIEW OF POSSIBLE TRIAL. ! LONDON, December 11. The ex-Kaiser, responding to the Daily j ' Express’s Amerongen correspondent's invi- I tation through Herr Bentiuck, sent the following message: “Tell the correspondent that if there is a possibility of my becoming defendant I prefer deferring making a statement until then. 1 don’t desire to . compromise any member of the Govem- | meat existing at the outbreak of the war.”

RELEASED RUSSIAN PRISONERS. TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS. LONDON, December 11. Polish newspapers record terrible sufferings of Russian prisoners returning to Foland from Germany, travelling in trucks often without food. Numbers are dying of cold and hunger. The men loot the peasants’ homes in order to get food. REPATRIATION OF AUSTRALIANS. SOME TROUBLE AT DEVONPORT. LONDON, December 10. Received December 12, 8.40 p.m. Twenty-six transports filled with Australian troops are expected to sail for home in January. Some trouble has arisen at Devonport where a large number of Australians refused to embark on a transport. The reason for their refusal is unknown.