GERMAN ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 13 August 1923, Page 2

GERMAN ITEMS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CADLE ASSOCIATION,

BRITAIN’S REPLIES

LONDON, Aug. 10

The “Daily Telegraph’s” diplomatic correspondent, understands the British replies reject tho suggestion that Britain can demand the unconditional abandonment of passive resistance and the question of efficacy of the so-called pioduotivo pledges as a means of making Germany pay. It summarises the entire British case in an eloquent compelling manner sure to make worldwide appeal to public opinion. > The “Daily Express” says France’s question is answered frankly and fully. The Government points out there can be no remission of France’s debt until Germany’s capacity to pay is asceituined. Britain is only able to arrange a general debt settlement when she knows what to expect from Germany. Tiie “Morning Post” says the Replies stress Britain’s unemployment., enormous burden of taxation, and heavy debt repayment to America, anti indicate that some method other or one supplementary to the Franco-Belgian occupation of Ruhr must be devised, to enable Germany to pay reparations.

GERMAN FOOD PRICES. LONDON, Aug. 10. The ‘Morning Post’s” Berlin correspondent says food in the large towns u scarce. Meat is obtainable only by the richest, and potatoes and eggs have practically disappeared. Crowds stand for hours outside butter shops. Farmers and agricultursts, owing to the depreciated mark preventing purchase abroad, have become masters of the situation. Prices of everything have risen. One hundred thousand mark notes, and for live million marks are plentiful, hut are unchangeable. The supply of notes of less value than a million is unaccountably failing, and in consequence the wo'rkers are not being fully paid. This coupled with the fact that the rate of wages does not keep pace with the cost, of food is the cause of disturbances. Communists everywhere are exploiting the. situation. The authorities announced that printing presses cannot cope with the demand for notes required for daily necessities, but workers suspect other reasons. ' Danzig dockers refuse to work unless they are paid a dollar a day. Blohm and Yoes (shipbuilders at Hamburg) have dosed their yards in consequence of the attitude ol the workers who are under the Communist influence. . Siemeii’s workers demonstrated Defore tho Directors’ offices complaining that advances in wages are not arranged quickly enough to keep pace with prices. Berlin electricity workers are adoption passive resistance. Ihe suppl.i oi elcctricitv is already scanty. Shop;, except food stores, were closed on Tlinrsdav, as a protest against wholesalers demanding payment m nodal's, whereas retailers are compelled to accept marks.

A BERLIN STRIKE. BERLIN, Aug. 10A strike of printers has begun here, resulting in the stoppage of publication of all the Berlin newspapers, except those that are controlled by the Socialists and the Communists. Tile hank note printers have also ceased work. This strike is the outcome of the men’s refusal to accept the Labour Ministry’s award of six and three-quarter millions of marks per week. It is feared that the strike will spread to all the municipal services and factories.

The underground railway workmen have struck owing to the dismissal of three workmen. Traffic is at a complete standstill. A later message says the strike is spreading rapidly. The Government aro gravely concerned. No trains arc running from Berlin to-day.

( UNO RESIGNS

BERLIN, August 11. Herr C.'uno has tendered his resignation as Chancellor, hut President Ebert has refused to accept it. A REASON FOR STRIKE. XT) MONEY FOB WAGES. RERUN, August 11. Owing to the note stringency, practically all the hanks have stopped paying oui! It therefore became- impossible to provide the workers with wages. There were amazing scenes before the dramatic climax was reached. Many large employers, anticipating the suspension, scut able-bodied men to the hanks, who remained outside all night. The hanks’ supplies of currency were quickie exhausted. Koine of the largest firms, like the Siemens Electrical Company, employing tens ol thousands, were unable to obtain sufficient to pay wages. Many individuals with private accounts were only able to draw enough to buy a loaf.

LIGHTNING STRIKES FOR. WAGES.

BERLIN. August II

The strike of the State printers has been settled, and the printing of bank notes has been resumed. The Roiclisbank re-opens on Saturday, alter a most remarkable Friday. The building was beset in the* morning, as usual, by a crowd of messengers from the State municipal departments, hanks, factories and offices. Armed with every kind of bag. sack, and portmanteau, these apparently endless first-comers were (old that- they could have only a proportion of the amounts of their cheques, and must take it partly ill million-mark notes, and partly in 10. 20, and of) marks which was meaningless, when an evening paper costs 10,000, and a tiny roll of bread 12.000 marks. After an hour, (he cashiers announced the end of their resources, and they closed the doors, while the crowd hurst out in fiery arguments, until dispersed by horse and foot police. The strangest sight was at lunch time, when people were seen with five and ten million-mark notes frantically trying to obtain change in order to pay for a modest meal. The municipality received the Government’s permission to utilise the old paper money—loo, 000, and 1000-mark notes. The great manufacturing firms are beginning to pay the workmen in emergency money, which the co-operative stores agreed to accept, the firms undertaking their redemption at the i*nrli<*st moment. With the absence of wages in many places, lightning strikes occurred. Some ugly incidents are reported. The great Thyssen Works in the Dusseldorf district closed. The Communists demand, among other things, that the children in the Ruhr should !«> evacuated into unoccupied Germany.

PEACE TREATY DENOUNCED. BERLIN, Aug. 11. Ilerr Rosenberg, Foreign Minister, speaking in the Reichstag, denounced as unjust the reparations provided by the Versailles Treaty, which Germany would never accept. France’s whole purpose, he said, in entering the Ruhr was to bring ruin upon Germany’s economic life. He disputed the right of a single signatory to iake independent action, citing the Leagues Supremo Councils refusal to allow Rumania to seize Hungarian property on the ground that it wou'ld yiolate the treaty.

COMMUNISTS AGAINST CL'NO. PARIS, Aug. 11. A telephone message from Berlin states that a • voto will be taken on Monday on the Communists’ motion of no-confidence in the Government. The Socialists aro deliberating whether to vote for or against it. Chancellor Cuno declares that ho will resign if the Socialists vote with the Communists. SEIZURE OF MINES. BERLIN, Aug. 10. A telegram from Coblenz says tho Inter-Allied Commission has ordered the seizure of Ruhr mines for defaulting deliveries. PARIS, Aug. 10. The Saxon Government has issued an order prohibiting its subjects from palliating in any way, any violent acts in tho occupied territory. BERLIN, Aug. 10. The Government, in a decree, prohibits Germans from selling marks abroad, on the ground that such sales have a detrimental effect on exchange. BERLIN, Aug. 11. A telegram from Dusseldorf states that during a wage dispute, the Crofeld directors had to take Night. A conflict occurred in the market place between the crowd and the police, who used their swords. Several were wounded. ALLIED CORRESPONDENCE. LONDON, Aug. 11. It is understood that all the correspondence between Britain, Franco and Belgium, together with Britain’s latest reply, will be officially issued on Sunday evening. The latter document (Britain’s’ reply) will be a very full exposition of tho British attitude on tho existing situation. BRITAIN’S CHIEF CONCERN. LONDON, Aug. 11. The “ Daily Telegraph's’ diplomatic correspondent says:—The critics who found fault with the Cabinet on the ground that it failed hitherto to take a strong stand in defence of British rights and interests, will have little cause for similar complaint in regard to tho latest note to France and Bolguim. Mr Baldwin and Lord C‘iirzou have adopted an extremely firm tone, despite the uniform courtesy of tho language employed. For the first time, Britain's legal objections to the Ruhr occupation will he officially and openly stated. The Government lias hitherto refrained from pressing this point, but M. Poincare’s hardly concealed challenge in tho recent French Note has made it imperative that tho British legal ease should not go by default. The point that no single one or two among Germany’s creditors are entitled to depreciate the common credits l)v independent action can hardly lie separated from tho question of tho Allied debt. This, it is believed, is dealt with fully in the Note.

MR LLOYD GEORGE. LONDON, Aug. 11. Lloyd George, in acknowledging tho Freedom of "Wrexham, referred to tho Reparations. He said that if moro patience, oouphxl with firmness, were shown, lie believed that a substantial contribution would have been received from Germany, not merely towards repairing the damages in France, but towards tho losses which this country had sustained. Through impatience, the process of securing reparations was not merely postponed, hut, he thought, made almost impossible in the future.

BRITISH REPLY

(■Received this day at S’ a.m.)

LONDON. Aug. 10,

The British reply was handed to St. Aulaire on Saturday. Meantime M. Poincaro has gone to Stenay where ho delixers a speech to-day.