THE RUHR.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 April 1923, Page 2

THE RUHR.

GERMAN BOYCOTT SUCCEEDS. SABOTAGE A FINE ART. ACSTIt.U.IAN AND N.Z. CAIII.K ASSOCIATION. LONDON. April 3. Ren wick, the "Daily Chronicle's" Berlin corespondent writes:—"l tin-i-hid a long tour of the indu-irial legion of the Ruhr in order to linil out the real state of affairs, resulting from eleven weeks of occupation. In K-sen the boycott of the French and Belgians lias won. Ihe I‘ rench do not attempt to buy anything but in the smaller town- the shopkeepers know that selling drink to officers will not affect the result in any way. The French troops are being kept out of sight as much ns possible, which is a good policy as many, being voting and inexperienced, would easily he prompted to do rash deeds.

“Bochum taught the French a lesson as to the iuadvisableuess ol extreme measures and sabotage throughout the Ruhr hns been reduced t<> a fine art. No one knows what the next German move is going to be. Thus hreach drivers "ho are unable to take a train up a certain gradient could not discover the reason why until they found that the lines had been heavily soaped. In other places Germans put iron filings in the oil boxes of the machinery, which gradually worked into the vital parts. Again when the French sought to seize coal, they found that every shovel had mysteriously disappeared.

The Germans have also invented a tiny bomb which can be placed on the rails at vital points, doing considerable damage. So far France and Belgium have received an equivalent of one days preinvasion supply of coal and coke.”