VOTE IN SAAR

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 94, 15 January 1935, Page 9

VOTE IN SAAR

General Belief That Germany Has Won JOURNALISTS CONCUR Poll Passes Quietly With Perfect Organisation ANTI-NAZI PROTESTS By Telegraph. Press Assn.—Copyright. (Received January 15,1.25 a.m.) London, January 1-1. Saarbrucken correspondents concur tliat the Nazi German Front has virtually swept the Saar. It is now estimated that 75 per cent, favour a return to Germany. One English returning officer said: “It has been far more orderly than an English election.” There is a possibility that anti-Nazi elements will protest officially against what they describe as the illegalities of' the plebiscite. Herr Max Braun, Socialist leader, says that not a single condition of a free election was observed. “The workers won’t stand these provocations. We are drifting toward ■civil war.” he added. - Herr Pfordt, Communist leader, is taking the same line. Perfect organisation characterised the plebiscite, the quiet orderliness of polling and the excellent discipline of the voters contesting remarkably with the fantastic rjimours circulated without foundation. A wide tour of the territory completely discounts the tales of brawls and shots, the most formidable missiles being snowballs, and the only fighters being children.' A woman who arrived from Shanghai, via the transSiberian railway and by air from Berlin, duly voted. The trades unions are confidently expecting a pro-Hitler result and have declared a holiday for January 15, enabling the greatest celebration for 15 years. Cost of Plebiscite. The cost of the plebiscite is estimated at £660,000. People waited patiently in the slushy snow to exercise their suffrage, while the international troops, except those detailed to guard and transport the voting urns, philosophically remained in barracks. The queues through the Saar lengthened hourly with the arrival of foot passengers and all sorts of vehicular travellers who were given a free passage in the trains and postal vans. Fifty per cent, had voted by noon; and 90 per cent, by 7 o’clock in the evening. Squads of members of the Deutsch Front, equipped with axes and spades, helped motoring voters by clearing snowdrifts from the roads. Others supplied information outside the booths. Some bore posters inscribed: “Keep your mouths shut,” as a result of which nobody was disfranchised, fear of say; ing “Heil, Hitler” or giving the Nazi salute prevailing. Good-humoured laughter between bitter political opponents marked the closing of the poll. It is estimated that 97 per cent, of the electors voted. Lorries, guarded by armed police and the East Lancashires, with fixed bayonets, collected the voting urns and deposited them in the Wartburg garage in the custody of the East Lancashires in service order. Trains, protected by international troops. are bringing others all night long from all over the Saar. The collection was witnessed by thousands of spectators shouting “Heil, Hitler,” and singing the Horstwessel song, the Saarland anthem. Many houses displayed rows of lighted candles. The Nazis decorated window ledges and the closed booths with red fairy lamps, while searchlights transformed the snowflakes into falling drifts of gold. The Saarbrucken correspondent of “The Times” says that some booths recorded a 100 per cent. poll. Six hundred booths, roughly one for every 700 inhabitantc. were provided in 23 electoral districts. , Even the blind and deal and aged registered their votes. Those unable to walk were carried,, and if a voter were blind or could neither read nor write a friend helped him to vote. At Beckingen an old woman became so excited after voting that she fell into a fit and died en route to hospital. A miner in another village while waiting to vote heard that his cottage was afire. He insisted on voting before returning. He then found that his cottage had been burnt down. The Hitlerites alone had cars. The status quo party x announced that they had relied on . Jewish supporters for cars, but the Jews were so intimidated by Nazi threats that they dared not use their cars. French Frontier Closed. The "Daily Express” special correspondent at Saarbrucken states that the French frontier was closed yesterday afternoon to all Saarlander,s, unless they had special permits. The official reason given is a desire that thirsty Saarlanders should not cross to France to celebrate the plebiscite. The real reason is the fear of a flood of emigrants rushing to France to escape the Hitlerites’ persecution and revenge. The French Government has made preparations to receive 40,000 French Saarlanders, if necessary, after the plebiscite. Thousands have already adopted French nationality. Holland will not admit possible Saar refugees unless they are considered desirable foreigners. A Paris message states that the Minister of the Interior calculates that 50,000 Saar citizens will attempt to cross the frontier into Lorraine. Inquiry is being made in towns in northern France how refugees can be distributed. Roubaix is prepared to receive 5000 Red refugees, and others will housed temporarily in other towns. PART OF THE LEAGUE Desire For Speedy Action BRITISH DELEGATES’ VIEW (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, January 12. The count of votes cast in the plebiscite begins on Monday evening, and the result will he made known about 8 o’clock that night. The Saar Territory consists of 790 square miles, and has a population of about 100,000. It was entrusted under the Versailles Treaty to the League of Nations Commission for a period of 15 years, which has now expired, and the choice before the voters is whether the territory shall be returned to Germany, shall be given to France, or shall continue under the