INTERNAL GERMANY

Hokitika Guardian, 29 March 1921, Page 2

INTERNAL GERMANY

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION

COM M UNJST OUTBREAK

LONDON, March 25

The “Daily Telegraph” Beilin corresondent states unless the authorities do something foolish, the Communist movement ought to he put out in a few days. All Moscow could have hoped for was a momentary flare up as the German working classes are not behind the movement. There is no real fighting in Hamburg. The chief weapon of the rioters has been the beer bottle. The loss of life was mainly due to attempts to break the cordons of police, who used firearms, where the British police would have used batons. Red flags at Blohm and Voss shipyards were lowered by loyal workmen, who got the upper hand. The most serious situation is in Hall district and tlib severest .fighting at Wescldcn where the police eventually drove out the Communists, who are now cntrenched in the hills, whence they are using machine guns. The police arc not strong enough in the face of weapons in the hands of Communists, and this makes the situation serious. Twenty deaths arc reported. The whole trouble commenced with nil attempt to blow up the column of victory in Berlin, which was to he the signal for the ris ing. The destruction of other public 'memorials was to follow, but the attempt on the victory column failed. Eleven men were arrested and confessed.

COLLAPSE OF MOVEMENT. BERLIN, March 26. -The Communist rising failed owing to lack of organisation and opposition in the mining districts. TROUBLE IN SILESIA. BERLIN, March 24. A rim’d Polish hands are operating in Upper Silesia, causing the Germans in the south and eastern area to flee in panic. The Allied forces are unable to quell the rising. Germany is demanding Allied protection of the German population. FIGHT AT HAMBURG. BERLIN, March 24. The police ousted the Communists from the Hamburg dockyards except th 0 yards of Blohm and Voss, which are still held by the rebels’ main force* though they are closely besieged.

The streets of- the city arc closed by wire entanglements and the police have stationed machine-guns at various points.