BALTIC PROVINCES

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1919, Page 5

BALTIC PROVINCES

BLOCKADE OF GERMANY RENEWED. By Telegraph.—lVess Assn.—Copyright. Washington, Sept. 30. . The blockade against Germany has begun owing to her failure to remove troops from the Baltic provinces.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. Berlin, Sept. 30. It is semi-officially stated that von der Qoltz lias finally been recalled from the Baltic provinces after his failure to persuade his troops to withdraw. VON DER GOLTZ'S. ARMY. THE GAME OF ANNEXATION. AN OFFICIAL REVIEW. Several cable messages recently have referred to the failure of the Germans to remove their troops from the Baltic provinces of Esthonia, Livonia, and Courland (as demanded by the Allies under the provisions of the Treaty) and various explanations have been given for this failure. It has been alleged, for instance, that the troops who volun- | teercd for service there were promised (with or without Berlin's official sanction) grants of land, and refuse to rei turn to Germany. One message reported the impending formation by the soldiers lof a republic, not part of the German i Empire. It has also been stated that i von der Goltz, the German General in Command, is simply insolently disobe- ! dient. Under Article 12 of the Armistice, the Germans were under an obligation to evacuate all territory formerly part of the Russian Empire, so soon as the Allies considered the time suitable. The Allies did not forthwith evercise the right of demanding withdrawal from the Baltic Provinces, as the German forces were the only organised fortes in this district capable of resisting .the Bolshevik attacks. The altitude of the German troops has, however, throughout this period become more and more aggressive, and the position created by their presence there has become more and more undesirable. The German military commander, von der. Goltz, exercises supreme power in Latvia, controlling railways, telegraphs, tjie police, and his forces are officially described as "troops of occupation." As an instance cf the entirely German character of the administration, it may be mentioned that German time has recently been introduced. So long as German troops did not interfere with the local civil government, their presence was useful and desirable. On 16th April, however, they arrested the Lettish Government at Libau, and disarmed all the Lettish troops in the town. From this date onwards they have persistently followed the policy of disarming the Lettish forces throughout the country, and of preventing the mobilisation, of further Lettish troops, thus hindering rather than assisting in the struggle against the Bolsheviks. THE GERMAN DESIGN. There is no doubt that, as has been proved by documents which have fallen into our hands, Germany is now playing a deliberate game for tie annexation pf the Baltic provinces, or of as much of them as they can secure to Germany, especially with a view of affording land for' colonisation by German demobilised troops. The Baltic barons have offered one-third of their land for distribution among German colonists, and this promise lias attracted large numbers of German recruits to Courland.

The puppet Government which the German military authorities have set up accepts this bargain. It has been the obstinate refusal of the Lettish Government to surrender any of the land of Latvia for German colonisation which Das been the. principal motive of the suppression of this Government by the German authorities. Already large numbers of Germans have been transferred to the local Baltic formations and are posing as Baits. They are thus endeavoring to pursue after their defeat the ''Drang nach Osten," which has always been a keynote of German policy, and are trying in the East to make up for their losses in the West.

On 25th May German authorities in Lilian arrested five British naval officers in uniform. They were disarmed and searched, and (hough they were ultimately released an apology was refused. A formal demand for an apology has now been made to the German Government through the Armistice Government at Spa, but has up to the present been ignored. On 24th May the German and Bait forces took Riga, which had for some time been abandoned by the Bolsheviks. I They took the opportunity of carrying out a wholesale execution of Letts, many cf whom were, shot without court-mar-tial, on an unfounded charge of being Bolsheviks. With the capture of Riga the Bolshevik* were practically driven from the whole of the Baltic Provinces, and it was contemplated that the Esthonian and Lettish forces would be able to join hands, and would form a strong defensive line. This, however, did not suit the German game. The German authorities have for some time been intriguing against the present Esthoninn Government with the object of obtaining an excuse to invade Esthonia, and to destroy Esthonian independence which they had themselves recognised. These intrigues having failed, they are now directly attacking the Esthor.jrn forces and fighting is going on in the! neighbourhood of Wendcn, where the German are alleged to have used poisonous gas, Apart from any other considerations, the result of this is to draw off tiic Ksthonitiii forces who were on the Bolshevik front, and thus weaken the posrtoojt j vis-a-vis the Bolsheviks.

The position therefore is that the German forces, far from being an assistance in the defence of the Baltic Provinces against Bolshevism, have now proved to be a greater danger than Bolshevism itself. They are endeavoring to plunge Hie whole of the Baltic Provinces into a */tate of anarchy in order that they may have an opportunity of intervening everywhere to re-establish order, and to institute a German regime with a view to the Germanisation of these provinces anil their eventual incorporation in the German Empire. WITHDRAW AT. DEMANDED. A message from Rcval stated: "On 10th June General Gough telegraphed a ultimatum to Count von der Goltz demanding, firstly, that half the German troops should immediately be sent back to Germany; secondly, that the rest of the German troops and Landwehr should be withdrawn from the northern front to a line drawn from the mouth or the Ar, through Segewald, Mitau, and Altpebalg, to Neuschwaneburg; and thirdly, that the Ulmanis Government should be immediately enabled to carry on its work. The ultimatum states that all interference on the part of the Germans with the affairs of Lettland will be prohibited, and makes General von der Goltz re«*efiijble tot tki iuUOwM tf & May,"