GERMANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1919, Page 5

GERMANY.

THE NATION AT WORK. SPEECH BY THE PREMIER. By Telegraph—Press Assn—Copyright. Received Oct. 8, 9.35 p.m.

; Berlin, Oct. 7. Herr Bauer, Gerfkan Premier, speaking in the National Assembly, said that the nation was again imbued with the spirit for work. The will and desire for strikes had passed away. He announced that the Government aims at reducing strikes by the establishment of an obligatory Court of Arbitration. He also said that the workers would shortly have an eight-hour day. The principal tasks were the increase of coal production and the maintenance of railway traffic. Herr Bauer deplored the world-wide propaganda which was seeking to disprove the German people's changed mind aiid the genuine desire for peace. Germany was striving to the utmost to carry out the burdens imposed by the appalling Peace Treaty. He protested against the Entente's ultimatum regarding the Baltic [ Provinces, with the horrible threat M a ' resumption of the inhuman blockade, despite the fact that the German Government, three days previously, had informed the Entente that Germany had taken decisive measures.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable'Assn.

ACCUSATION AGAINST AMERICA. 1 Berlin, Oct. 7. The Government, in a verbal note to Switzerland, accuses the Americans of inhuman treatment of German prison-ers-of-war. The pay of the prisoners is said to be 20 centimes, and they are subjected to dangerous labor and if they refused are placed in isolated arrest for six weeks on bread and water and complaints prohibited.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. STRIKE IN BERLIN. Berlin, Oct. 7. Forty-seven thousand metal-workers have struck and the strike is extending to other industries. All the large works are involved and 67.000 men have been locked out. The strikers lirpe a general strike.—Aus and N.Z. Cable Assn.