THE RUHR

Southland Times, Issue 18965, 13 June 1923, Page 5

THE RUHR

THE DORTMUND MURDERS FRENCH TAKE DRASTIC STEPS (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) BERLIN, June 11. (Received June 12, 8.10 p.m.) The French are taking drastic steps in Dortmund as a consequence of two noncommissioned officers being killed in the street. The assistant Mayor has been arrested and a reward of 100.000,000 marks offered for the arrest of the dead Frenchl mens’ assailants. Curfew is also rigorously enforced and any German found in the streets thereafter being liable to be shot immediately. Five German civilians have been shot dead. On Sunday night, French troops occupied the town hall and hundreds of arrests have been effected. BRITAIN’S EFFORT. SEEKING A COMPROMISE. HOPES FOR UNITED ALLIED EFFORT LONDON, June 12. (Received June 12, 8.30 p.m.) Cabinet decided to communicate further with the French Government and keep the Allied conversations open in the hope of overcoming difficulties raised by M. Poincare’s conditions. A suggestion receiving consideration is a consultation between the Allied technical experts, concerning the Ruhr as a means of bridging the French and British attitudes. Another proposal is that the French should offer an amnesty in the Ruhr and make their occupation peaceful as at first intended. It would then be easier for Berlin to work under Allied supervision for the purpose of reparations. While an official announcement is withheld pending conversations, there is ground for belief that Cabinet’s efforts are directed to finding a compromise that w’ould satisfy the French as a preliminary to the united Allied effort to settle the reparations question finally. CONFERENCE WITH FRENCH AMBASSADOR. POINCARES PROPOSITIONS NOT ALTOGETHER ACCEPTABLE. LONDON, June 11. (Received June 12, 9.15 p.m.) Lord Curzon had a conference yesterday with the French Ambassador, who handed him a communication from M. Poincare regarding the German offer. A subsequent Cabinet meeting lasted an hour, and it is stated unofficially that Cabinet did not see its way to accept unreservedly M. Poincare’s propositions. It is thought that the solution may be found by the British Government urging Germany to end passive resistance in the Ruhr on the understanding that the offer will be taken by the Allies as a basis of final reparations settlement.

GERMAN WORKERS RESTLESS. STANDARD OF LIVING LOWERED. LONDON, June 11. The Times’s Berlin correspondent says the Reichstag debate on food prices and wages ended inconclusively, the Socialists and Communists illustrating how the standard of living had been lowered owing to failure to adapt wages to prices. They alleged that the German worker worked five hours for a pound of margarine, and the British worker twenty minutes for a pound of meat, with a similar comparison in. gard to other commodities. Herr Becker, Minister for Economic Affairs, held out no hope of further attempts to stabilise the mark so long as there was an unfavourable trade balance, which is computed at £100,000,000. The problem was also discussed by the Reichstag Inquiry Committee. Both revealed that industry conducted its business with gold marks while paying wages and taxes in depreciated paper. This explains why German Labour was restless and the State finances were in hopeless disorder. RUMANIA’S ACTION. (The Times.) LONDON, June 11. The Bucharest correspondent of The Times says Rumania is tired of haggling with Germany over reparations and has passed a Bill providing for confiscation and the sale of ex-enemy property, the proceeds to go towards reparations.