GERMAN ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 30 July 1923, Page 2

GERMAN ITEMS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. french"~reply. PARIS, July 27. M. Poincare has finished the text of tho French reply to Britain and has dispatched a copy to Brussels. Ihe leply will he delivered in London on Saturday night or Sunday. GERMAN FINANCIAL CRISIS. BERLIN, July 27. In view of the continued depreciation of the mark, the Reichstag will hold an extraordinary session on August 7. The police discovered u gang of counterfeiters in Augsburg circulating spurious notes amounting to 120,000,000 marks.

GERMAN CIVIL AVAR FEARED

LONDON. July 23,

The "Daily Chronicle’s" Berlin correspondent says:—"There is little doubt that Germany faces a serious crisis. Money in millions is to he seen about the city, and yet its very abundance is the cause of what is rapidly becoming a tragedy of dearth or famine. The queues of housewives waiting for food are street scenes which outclass tho worst of the war-raticning days. There are signs of threatened uprisings, which nre being referred to in such ominous phrases as “civil war." There is a shortage of butter fats, sugar, potatoes, and eggs, and it is growing worse daily. The Government is circularising the provincial authorities, ordering special police, measures to ensure the safe transport ol goods to the city and town markets. Farmers are alarmed at the economic chaos in the cities, and are hesitating whether to forward their produce. Most taxes arc now costing more to collect than they realise. Trains are delayed while the clerks handle huge bundles of marks tendered by travellers for l a res. ’ ’

The "Daily Express” correspondent says: “The most amusing sights witnessed lately are those of people going to tue restaurants carrying bundles of notes wrapped in newspapers to paybills. 'There is a perfect orgy of profiteering. Twice this week a leading hotel increased its charges lor rooms. The prices of foodstuffs change two or three times daily. The hotels are basing prices on the pound or the dollar but this is just as senseless as anything elso. Messages from New York yesterday stated the mark had declined to 1,111,100 to the dollar, this directly reflecting Germany’s wholesale issue of paper marks, ot which two trillions are being printed daily, without any sign of abatement." BERLIN. July 27.

Big queues are seen daily outside the provision stores, waiting'to buy butter and potatoes which are very scarce owing to the impossibility of dealers buying goods abroad, in view of tbc collapse of the mark. Tiie authorities regard the situation as serious. A special meeting of the Town Council declared that, unless the Government intervened. a- storm would break out. and they sent a deputation to Chancellor Cuno to demand remedial measures.

GERMAN CABINET RECONSTRUCTION. TROUBLE FEARED. (R-nosived this day at S a.m.l LONDON, July 29. The “ Sunday Express " Berlin correspondent states that the resignation ol tlt(> German Cabinet or its reconstruction is expected. The Centre Party and the Socialists arc combining against the Communists to hob! the German Empire together against the possibility of a Soviet Government or the Royalist intrigues.

Soldiers and armed police in motor cars have been drafted into Berlin in ’anticipation of an attempt by the Communists to hold their prohibited demonstrations at Potsdam to-day. The general uneasiness is causing an exodus of Germans and foreigners, thousands of whom arc going to Hoi land or to relatives in the country.