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Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1921, Page 2

Berlin’s colossal wooden idol,, the statue of Marshal Hindenbury, is to »e broken up and sold for firewood. It is a far cry back now to' the Germany that hammered its nails in the Hindenburg statue, assured by its Kaiser that Me und Gott” were about to sweep the world. Yet it is only three years ago this month, recalls the Wellington “Dominion”, since Count von Roon, a pri German member of the Prussian Upper House, and a representative of tlune Prussians who made the war, was proposing his peace terms. In the light of what is happening to-day it is wor'.b while recalling those terms. First • f

all there was to be no armistice unci ; the British troops were driven out of France and tlie Germans were in Pari-: Belgium was to be annexed, and the I coast of Calais, together with the Briey-Longwy mining region in tn? north-west France and all territory east of and including Belfort, Tirl. and Verdun. The German colony's were to be returned, England was to return Gibraltar to Spain and bail over her coaling stations. The who!.* British Navy was to surrender. F.gy:>t with the Suez Canal, was to go to T i key, Greece, was to be evacuated and King Constantine restored. Serbia °od 1 Montenegro were to be dovided between j Austria and Bulgaria. An indemnity of : £9,000,000,000 was to be paid bv America, England, and France, and finallv French and Belgian territory was to i>e occupied at the cost of the Allies, until the whole engaging programme ! was carried out. Considering the 'l- - only damaged a small portion of East Prussia the indemnity was a delicious touch. That was three sho-t years ago, and now Germany is burning the Hindenburg statue and issuing printed appeals to ’Followers of Christ against the brutality of tlie Allies.