GERMANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1919, Page 5

GERMANY.

A WILD SCENE. REVOLVERS USED IN MUNICH CHAMBER. MARTIAL LAW PROCLAIMED. Received Feb. 25, 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 23. The Express' Geneva correspondent reports that after a wild scene in the Munich chamber, in which revolver firing was general, Parliament House was placed under military control and martial law proclaimed by the leaders of the three Socialist parties. No civilians are allowed in the streets after 7 p.m., shops are closed, the tramways stopped, and only armed motors seen in the streets.

The workmen declared a general strike, red flags were half-mast on the public buildings, and revolutionary troops occupied the newspaper buildings, telegraph and post offices. A counter-revolution is feared, not only in Bavaria, but throughout Germany.—Aus. N.Z. Cable As9oc. SPARTACIt.S AT MULHEIM. "WILL HOLD IT OR DIE." SEVERE FIGHTING AT PRAGUE. Received Feb. 26, 1.20 a.m. Amsterdam, Feb. 24. The Spartacists who seized Mulheim are digging trenches and mounting ma-chine-guns. They have also planted mines in the streets. They say they will hold Mulheim or die. Severe fighting has taken place at Prague. The Communists seized the public buildings, but were ousted by the civil guards and students.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. REPUBLICAN TROOPS DISSOLVED. LEADER ARRESTED FOR TREASON. Received Feb. 2a, 5.5 p.m. Copenhagen, Feb. 23. It is reported that the Republican troops at Weimar have been dissolved, as they attempted to persuade the other troops to act against the National Assembly. The leader, Lindemann, was arrested for high treason.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

KRUPP'S WORKS. SILENT AND GHOSTLY. London, Feb. 20. A Daily Express correspondent succeeded in visiting Krupp's works at Essen. He found the great factories and miles of workshops silent and ghostly, covered with rust and cobwebs. Until November Krupp's turned out from 21 to 22 million shells monthly and a gun every 45 minutes. Forty thousand workers were demobilised within a fortnight of the signing of the armistice. A director, Herr Bauer, told the correspondent that the original idea of the Big Bertha was to construct a gun to bombard London from Calais after the first advance. The retreat compelled the abandonment of the idea until the final offensive neared Paris, th>ni Berthas were constructed for the bombardment of Paris and sighted by Berlin mathematical professors. Krupps are planning the conversion of the works to peace industries and rapidly establishing the cradle of a potential commercial war. The directors declare that they have enormous stocks of iron ore from Alsace-Lorraine and Sweden.— United Service. Amsterdam, Feb. 20. Germany is mobilising securities, and the Government announces that, owing to the Entente's refusal to deliver foodstuffs on credit, it is forced to take possession of all foreign securities now held in Germany. The mobilisation is now voluntary, but will be compulsory at a lower price if the response is insufficient—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

PRESIDENT OF BAVARIAN REPUBLIC. New York, Feb. 24. According to a dispatch from Munich, Herr Simon has been proclaimed President of the new proletariat republic of Bavaria. The workers and soldiers at Munich have declared a proletariat dictatorship.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. UEBKNECHT THE BLACKMAILER. New York, Feb. 21. A death list has oeen discovered among Dr. Liebknpfht's papers on which figured the names of prominent German business men and political leaders. It is asserted that largo slims of money were paid to Dr. Liebknecht by prominent people to prevent their names being put on the list. Dr. Liebknecht.'s bank account showed a deposit of 12,000,000 marks.— Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.