GERMAN PROTESTS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 125, 20 February 1919, Page 5

GERMAN PROTESTS

AGAINST FURTHER ENTENTE

PRESSURE

AND SOME SIGNIFICANT

ADMISSIONS

STATEMENT BY HERR RANTZAU By Telegrajh—Pres3 Association—Copyright London, February-16. An important statement was made in the National Assembly at Weimar by Herr Rnntzau, the German Minister of Foreign Affairs. He bitterly complained of the further pressure and threats of the Entente to obtain fresh concessions. from Germany ii'stead of hastening pence on the agreed Wilsonian basis of justice and reciprocity. He emphasised that Germany was demobilising and replacing the old peace army by new Republican troops.

Tlie most important points in the Wilsouian programme, as recognised on both sides, imposed the obligation to submit differences with other States to an International Court of Arbitration, and to renounce armaments in order to prevent a surprise attack upon a neighbour, ''We are prepared for both these humiliations of sovereignty if our former enemies and future neighbours are subjected to the same conditions.

"We are prepared to submit the question of blame for the war to impartial men who enjoy the confidence of all the belligerents. Hence our firm adhesion to the Wilsonian principles that no war costs shall go to the victor, and no territory shall be evacuated by the conquered.

"We are pledged to repair the damage caused to civilians owing to attack on the territories we occupied, and are prepared to rebuild these with our free labour. We protest- against the enemy retaining our prisoners of war to do such work as slaves.

"Our enemies owe their victory mainly not to their military, but to their economic, conduct of the war. Hence peace must be not only political, but essentially economic. President Wilson has rightly characterised economic -freedom and equal rights as the main condition of a just and lasting peace. It may therefore be assumed that the resolutions of the Paris Economic Conference ot WW will be dropped. "It must be apparent that the temporary differentiation of Germany in trade and traffic cannot be accepted by us. There is no reason to quarantine Germany if she complies with just peace conditions, giving reasonable guarantees for their fulfilment.

"The bureaucratic staff of our Foreign Service has been responsible for past mistakes in. our trade policy. I have already begun to place practical and experienced business men in the Foreign Service, with a view to correcting our narrow-minded economic methods."

Herr Rantzau said ho feared that' tho enemies were desirous of robbing Germany of her whole mercantile fleet. Any attempt to compel Germany to enter the League of Nations without a mercantile fleet would be violently subversive of her economic development. Freedom of trade, he said, presupposed tho freedom of the seas, one of the most important AVilsonian points for Germany. Germany could not enter the League of Nations without colonies. Germany was prepared to negotiate regarding the cession of this or that colony, but only .as the legitimate owner. Her future colonial policy must be one of more humane treatment of natives. Ho admitted that Germany had made mistakes in that direction. Her mission must be to secure the interests of the natives. Thej_ could be assured that he agreed with tiie idea of international control of the tropical colonies, provided that all the colonial Powers were subject to it and Germany had a proportionate share of the administration and profits of tho • colonies. Alsace-Lorraine was entitled to consultation regarding its future status. He concluded by protesting against the Frenoli designs for securing t-lio Saar basin,— Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn.'

"BANKRUPT IN RAW MATERIALS AND

FINANCIALLY"

HERR EBERT INTERVIEWED,

London, February 18.

Herr Ebert, President of Germany, in an interview at \Veimar, said that the conversion of war industries was proving easier than was expected. Numerous factories, especially textile, will reopen a 6 soon as raw materials are available. Germany was bankrupt in raw materials and financially wrecked. "Wo can best and soonest serve in the restoration of Belgium and France by putting our whole working force into stemming the tide of Germany's' complete ruin. We must replace the rolling stock seized by the Entente, as it is essential for food distribution. I leave it to you to judge what Germany is able to do for others in this catastrophic situation."—"The Times." FINANCIAL SIMON DESPERATE • STATEMENT BY FINANCE MINISTER, (Rec. February 19, 11.50 p.m.) Weimar, February 17.

Herr Schiffer, Finance Minister, informed the Assembly that tho financial situation was desperate and the future was dependent on the demands. Germany requires to raise nineteen billion marks in taxation, compared with five billion a year before the war.—Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn.

THE FOOD AND WORK SHORTAGE

BRITISH MILITARY GOVERNOR AT

COLOGNE APPEALED TO. (Rec. February 19, 11.30 p.m.)

London, February 17. British correspondents at Cologne refer to a great meeting of six thousand porkers to consider the shortage of food and unemployment. Speakers declared that the working class had been incapable of work since the summer of 191G owing t;o being underfed. The situation is becoming worse daily. A family's weekly supply of tea is exhausted at a single meal owing to the mcagreness of the ration. The potato crop is poor. The meeting appointed a delegation to the British military Governor, wlio sympathetically heard them and promised to help—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. - RANTZAU DESIROUS OF RESIGNING

(Rec. February 19,. 11.15 p.m.) London, February 17. The "Frankfurter Gazette" says that Herr Rantzau told the Cabinet that lie wanted to resign, because it was impossible to continue a foreign policy while France was notoriously chiming at the resumption of hostilities. Herr Rantzau is remaining in office out of deference to tlie wishes of Cabinet.—Router.

PROCLAMATION BY HINDENBURG

ON HIS RETURN TO THE EASTERN

FRONTIER. (Rec. February 19, 9.20 p.m.)

London, February 18. A Berlin wireleM, message states that von Hindenburg has issued a proclamation to tho German people stating that be is returning!'to the Eastern' frontier. He calls for national unity to defend the Fatherland against tho new enemy and Bolshevism. He recalls the victories ,of Tannenberg and the Masurian lakes, and urges young volunteers and their comrades to remember that they are all Germans, and to unite in self-discipline and confidence in -their leaders.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.