GERMAN ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 18 September 1923, Page 2

GERMAN ITEMS

LATEST CABLE NEWS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. GERMAN FINANCE. BERLIN, Sept. 10 Million mark notes aro becoming the smallest unit in the retail trade. A fortnight hence five hundred million and a thousand million will be introduced. The violent depreciation hears heavily on wage earners. 4\ ages fixed even a week ahead may depreciate to a tenth of the original value. The difficulties of housekeeping may be imagined. The highest wages paid in Berlin this week-end are equivalent to an English twopence hourly, possibly adequate when fixed, hut it is impossible to live on seven shillings a week. Prices on tile contrary keep accurlffo pace with the exchanges, plus a margin for eventualities. Prices are regulatcd hourly by telephone resulting in <4l shameless profiteering and the withholding of supplies. FOREIGN NOTES CONFISCATED. ACTION UNAUTHORISED. N

LONDON, Sept. 16.

Treasury officials during the weekend, began a search pockets campaign, compelling Berlin waiters to disclose their pocket-books and confiscating their foreign notes. An official visited the banks and forbade the staffs to permit the removal of the contents of customers’ private safes.

The Commissioner of Foreign Currencies made a statement to the effect that the action of tho Treasury officials wasunauthorised as it was not intended to interfere arbitrarily with private property. Notwithstanding this explanation processions of motor ears - and queues of clients of the banks are removing packages from their private safes. >

Herr Gessler, War Minister, has issued a proclamation denying the existence of relations between tlie Army and secret organisations. The infantry and cavalry are concentrated in Berlin suburbs as the Government anticipates a Communist attempt, to overthrow tho Cabinet.

Tlie Berlin ponce have lieen reinforced in anticipation of food riots. GERMANY’S FOOD SUUPLY. BERLIN, Sep. 16. Addressing the Federal Council, tho Minister of Finance, announced that the food supuly was assured. He declared that almost the whole of the population in the occupied region was lieing largely supplied from the Imperial exchequer. Efforts must 1)6 made to solve the Ruhr conflict- through speedy negotiations.' The national expenditure could not he continued on the present scale, and in view ol the state of the currency he appealed to the people to hold out till «i solution of the country’s external difficulties was found.

AY HAT AYE HOLD AYE KEEP.

PARIS, Sept. 16.

M. Poincare, in a speech at DunsurMcuse, said that some persons now regained the decisions readied a Versailles as dead letters, and blamed France for insisting on their execution. There could be no security in international relations if treaties concluded could he disowned. The Treaty of entrusted ‘the task of fixing the German debt and conditions of its payment to a Reparations Commission whose powers Germany cxprcsslv recognised. If there was any idea of divesting the Commission of its powers, France would not countenance is as it would be contrary to promsics made to France.

M. Poincare concluded: “AA’e hold guarantees and we shall keep them until we have received satisfaction.”

FOR RUHR RESISTANCE

BRUSSELS, Sopt. 10. A German aeroplane transporting postal opekots between Germany and .— _ England was forced to land owing to engine trouble. According tr> the newspaper “Nation Beige,” the packets contained 5.500 milliard of marks which it is believed was to be employed to maintain the passive resistance in the Ruhr. Three German occupants of tho aeroplane declared they wore acting in good faith, and believed the packets contained ordinary postal mails. BELGIANS SEIZE FUNDS. COLOGNE, Sept.. 16. Following on the non-fulfilment ef the Belgian authorities’ demand for five hundred milliards of marks, from each branch of the Reicbshank in the Aix-la-Chapellc district, to provide for the current expenses of the Belgian army of occupation, the Belgians seized the branches and confiscated a total of 263,709 million marks. NEW DEADLOCK WITH FRANCE. LONDON, Sep. 17. “ The Times’s ” Berlin correspondent says:—The Franco-German conversations are believed to have reached a deadlock. Advices from Paris state that Germany must choose capitulation or chaos. The Chancellor declares capitulation is chaos, and no Government dare face the consequences of a capitulation. The favourite German comment on the situation is to ask what Britain is doing. The political writers are fond of referring to Britain’s loss of prestige in European councils.

A BAVARIAN CRY. •LONDON, Sept. 16

The “Daily Chronicle” quotes “Vorwaerts” to the effect that, before the war, the organised German workers could buy a pound of meat with an hour’s wages, whereas they no"’ must pay ,t!ie equivalent of eight hour s wages. The “Chronicle” continues: “One alarming result of the price of necessaries hounding up is that- armed bands go ..about plundering the potato fields. There have been numerous encounters with the police. The Government departments are working overtime in putting up prices, in a desperate endeavour to get in money and taxes. To-morrow the railway lares will he increased by GOO per cent, and the goods traffic charges by 400 per cent., which is certain to raise the price of food, and necessitate higher wages, which will mean more note writing, and will re-establish the old vicious circle. Tho whole of Central and .southern Germany is disturbed, and in a n lfi ,i.y sensitive condition.” . .us adds to the Berlin Government’s anxiety. In Thuringia the Communists ....ve seized power, and threaten to do the same in Saxony. The situation is thoroughly bad in Bavaria, where there aie great so-called patriotic demonstrations against the Central Government. Addressing Bavarian patriotic demonstrations, which are organised b> Hitler who is nick-named “The Mussolini of Bavaria,” the speakers declared that Bavaria had the same mission today as Prussia in Napoleon’s time, when it organised a war of liberation, wiiich ended at the Battle of Leipsig. For this purpose conscription would ito introduced in Bavaria, even if it were contrary to the peace treaty, and conscription would follow in the rest of Germany in a few weeks. The Bavarians would lie the storm troops for German liberty, and the present try was “To arms!”

The “Daily Chronicle” says:—“lt is feared that any attempt to settle the Ruhr question, would be nailed in Bavaria as a capitulation, and be a sif?n a l for revolutionary action.