FRANCE AND GERMANY

Hokitika Guardian, 3 October 1928, Page 5

FRANCE AND GERMANY

RHINE OCCUPATION. United Press Association.—By Eleetri* Telegraph.—Copyright.) LONDON, October 1. The “ Manchester Guardian’s ” Cologne correspondent states: The inhabitants of Landau, in the French-occu-pied territory of Paflz, Itsmaonth, were afforded the spectacle of two French military police inarching three handcuffed schoolboys, the eldest aged sixteen, from the station to prison, where they are still confined under the ministrations of the German Red Cross. The fact that there has been no public outcry testifies to the terrorism in which the inhabitants of Pafalcs remain. Four Worms youngsters, including the imprisoned trio, stole a French officer’s revolver. With this they shot a fourth playmate in the hand while skylarking. The French secret police arrested the quartette, and detained the injured boy at Worms. The others await a courtmartial at Landau. The German law provides for Children’s Courts for children under seventeen years of age, thus avoiding arrest and imprisonment before trial. No military court has dealt with children in France and Belgium in* war time. It is impossible to excuse the present delay, or the escorting of the ‘children ninety miles while fettered. 1 ■ \ > . ... " .:

BATTLE NEAR HAMBURG.

OVER. LOCAL ELECTIONS

f r LONDON, October 2. (.The Berlin correspondent of- the “ Times ” states : Week-end warfare between semi-military and political organisations has culminated in a battle between the Reichsbanner Republicans and a Red fighting force of Communists at Geesthacht, near Hamburg. One man was killed, eleven were seriously wounded, and many were slightly wounded. The recent closing of a powder mill has idled six thousand workers, thus causing recriminations on the Town Council, which resigned, thus necessitating’elections. A large force of Communists, including Red 'Marilies, mostly wharf lhmpers, arriv-’ ed and took up a position oh the hills facing the Reichsbanner,' dispatched to secure an orderly 1 ’■ election.' - Battle soon : broke out) and it ‘ ; was- waged witli ’knives, revolvers, bottles find stoiies. Each side had: its own ambulance attending to ihe wounded. Before the police restored, order, the leader of the Red Marines 1 was killed The election u v'ks abandoned. There was a’ subsequent dlash in Berlin between Communists and Fascists in the presence of temporarily insufficient police. It resulted in twenty four arrests when the position was rectified. j .