THE GERMAN DANGER

Hokitika Guardian, 20 April 1920, Page 2

THE GERMAN DANGER

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright;.,' GERMAN DUPLICITY. LONDON, April 18. Advices from Frankfort state the French have discovered documentary evidence that the Germans have been steadily building up, in the neutral zone extensive camouflaged local forces composed of war veterans, including many non-commissioned officers, signallers ,war wireless and other specialists. A complete staff was provided disguised as civilian inspectors. The searchers disclosed an extraordinary abundance of the newest arms and mechanism of every variety and concealed stores of powder. The force excluded all socialists and other suspected non-militarist sympathies, whose names were recorded in long black lists.

GERMAN PLOTS. ■LONDON, April 18

'lt is suspected in some quarters that the prominence given in the German reports to various possible and often impossible combinations of militaristic and political extremists in different specified plots, is a mere ruse intended to mask rifore general and farreaching movements in other directions The Government at Berlin is either helpless or more probably, not unfavourable to the militarists’ plans, hoping thus to be furnished with a pretext for evading the Treaty obligations. Meanwhile many Royalist officers in Pomerania are actively organising armed fordes in the vicinity of the Coast. Anglo-French, observers in Germany emphasise the persistent concealment of recently discovered guns and serviceable, but forbiddene, aeroplanes and point out that there has been an ominous post-war manufacture of ammunition. Hence Lord Beatty’s and the Fran-co-Italian Admirals’ presence at San Remo is regarded as significant. The opinion held in many circles is that any •ultimatum would only be effective if supportel by sending a fleet to Hamburg, and other ports, so as to render any aggressive designs in any direction or recalfcitrancy hopeless. Some writers compare the condition and the actual conference at San Remo with the closing sittings of the Congress of Vienna in 1814, resulting in the renewal of the strife which terminated in the Rattle of Waterloo.

STRENGTH OF WORKERS. ’BERLIN, April- 18. Details of the latest plot against the Government show that officers of the Reiehswehr and 'Communistic extremists were caught red-handed. They actually met at the War Office with a. view of organising a. National Bolshevik movement. The arrested officers claim that their only negotiation is to secure a. peaceable surrender of the Communists’ arms. The civilians involved contradict this and declare that a number of officers, including General Eberhardt have been negotiating under the noses of the official chiefs since April Ist. The officers estimated that it is possible to arm 300,000 workers in Berlin alone.