GERMANY'S STRAITS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 July 1917, Page 10

GERMANY'S STRAITS.

PKF.CAI'rnOXS AGAINST WWW LEAKAGE. The precautions which German authorities took for the First of May were ■ enforced with extreme rigour. Tn every factory, ammunition'or other, proclamation was put up notifying the workers that they would be eourt-martiallcd if th>u- failed to return to work. ITindenburg issued an appeal to munition workers, and the Bavarian Minister «f Agriculture appealed to the rural population to send to the towns everything in the way of food with which they could possibly dispense. Nevertheless, there, have unquestion--.My been a considerable number inf strikes in Germany lately which are in the nature of food riots. The reason assigned for the diminution of the bread ration is that otherwise iby June lfi no bread would 'be left. Already in the mines work is done on only four days a week owing to the shortage of food. The real trouble, however, is the increasing scarcity of trained agricultural labor and lack of manure, and also the lack of rolling stock and repairs to engines and railways. With the available amount of rolling stock, it becomes increasingly difficult even to effect the conveyance of troops. The German Press is censored more severely than ever, and what few privileged persons contrive to secure "passports to go to Switzerland must sign a written declaration before leaving the eountrv not to say anything about certain occurrences there. "Vo neutral is allowed to enter Germany. When Robert Grimm, the Swiss Social Democratic leader, left recently for Russia via Germany, he had to sign a paper that he would not leave the train while in German territory. SIOHIOrS RIOTS AT MAIOT. I The Rotterdam correspondent of the Telegraaf says that a person who lias returned from Germany was a spectator , of serious disturbances which were made '. at Mainz by about 14XX) people. Shops, he savs, were pillaged and windows were \ smashed. Troops were summoned, who , fired, killing eight persons. About 500 , arrests were made. The soldiers then , patrolled the streets, i At 'Mannheim, according to the same , informant, the workers at a bomb fac- ' tory struck on April 16 until they had i received assurances that their bread ration would be increased.—Renter.