GERMANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 January 1919, Page 5

GERMANY.

POLLING AT ELECTIONS. RESULT DIFFICULT TO FORECAST. PRECAUTIONS AGAINST TROUBLE. ■Received Jan. 23, 8-35 pm. London, Jan. 21. The Daily Telegraph's Berlin correspondent writes on Sunday;— The polling is proceeding without trouble. There is feverish excitement in political circles. It is difficult to forecast the result, but I am inclined to believe the Liberals and Majority Socialists will carry the day, though, possibly, with only a small majority. The polling booths are generally established at public-houses and cinema pa-laces. The polling began at 9 a.m., when queues were already waiting. Later armed soldiers were posted at every booth, while machine-guns and field guns were placed at strategic points where disturbances were likely.—Aus.N.Z. Cable Assoc. .

HEAVY POLLING. j T-- j SPARTACISTS CAUSE TROUBLE. A SHARP CONFLICT, Received Jan. 23, 8.45 p.m. London, Jan. 2i*. The Daily Chronicle's Amsterdam correspondent states that out of 1,400,000 electors in Berlin 1,200,000 voted. A pictureseque incident the procession of the Sisters of the Catholic Lyceum marching to register their votes. The Spartacists at Hamburg burned a number of ballot-boxes and stole the boxesDinstaken attempted to prevent voting at Kattowiz. A German wireless says that the Spartacists were active in Rhineland, also at Hamburg and other ports. They frequently stopped the election. There was a sharp conflict at Hamburg with the police in motor-cars, armed with ma-chine-guns. It is reported that several were killed and wounded.—Aus.-N.Z. CaW« Assoc. THE NEW CONSTITUTION. ITS CHIEF POINTS. THE PRESIDENT AN AUTOCRAT. | Received Jan. 25, 0.45 p.m. Berne, Jan. 21. The following are the chief points of the draft of the new German Constitution, which has issued from Berlin:The Empire comprises the present States and thoßO seeking admission on the basis of self-determination. Foreign affairs, banks, exchanges, labor and land legislation, qrid aviation are among Imperial matters. All Germans have their right before the law. All privileges and advantages of birth, serial condition, or creed are abolished. The clause referring to religious freedom stipulates that none may be compelled to make known his or her religious convictions. The present distribution of lariifed property shall be modified by a wide process of home colonisation. Details arg not given. No legislation is permitted against foreign languages spoken, within the Empire. The Reichstag shall be composed of two Chambers, namely, the People's and the States'. In principle there will be one deputy to every million inhabitantsNo one may bo a member of both Chambers simultaneously The Legislative mandate for both Chambers to be three years.

The President of tlio Empire will be eleeted by the whole of the German people for a term of seven years, and be eligible for re-election, lie shall represent the Empire internationally, appoint diplomatists, and have power to declare war in accordance with the laws of the Empire. The Reichstag must approve foreigD treaties.

The Government of the Empire to b« composed of a Ministers, all of whom are to be appointed by the President. The Chancellor and Ministers should retire if the Chamber definitely votes no confidence in them >

"VICTORY'S RAGING STORM.' GERMANS AND PEACE TERMS. London, Jan. V. German propagandists anticipate that the new House of Commons will be hostile to any attempt to mitigate the peace terms, and will leave the Prime Minister free to press full indemnity demands. Some hope that the Sinn Feiners and the Labor members will raise trouble, but the Frankfurter Zeitung points out that difficulties capable of helping Germany will not occur soon enough to aff»pf. the Paris negotiations The paper forsees that the terms of the Allies will receive tlie approval of "a Parliament elected amid the raging storm of victory," but adds that England's final attitude towards Germany, and the future shaping of Europe will presumably be settled later, when the inevitable reaction and cooler political considerations come. The paper does not credit the genial prediction published in the Rotterdam Courant, that a revolution will occur in England within a year. Mr Crawford Vaughan (former South Australian Premier) in a letter to the Times, says that extensive inter-Allied publicity must lie carried out to counteract Teutonic propaganda. The National American Committee of Patriotic Societies, representing a membership of 2,500,000, is arranging an alliance of English-speaking people, as the first link in a great international chain The alliance would include the Dominions, ensure the exchange of political ideas, assistance in trade and commerce, and the co-ordination of methods and ideals of education, and would prepare the way for the League «f Nations