GERMAN TURMOIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 March 1920, Page 5

GERMAN TURMOIL.

SIEGE IN BERLIN. PARTY OF OFFICERS LYNCHED. . PANIC REIGNS IN THE CITY.

DRIFT TO CIVIL WAR. THE DANGER OF BOLSHEVISM. BOsCESSES 01 TEE RED ARMY. ALLIED ACTIVITY ON ,THE RHINE.

Mr •t&entb.-Ttm Asm-CowricM. > Received March 22, 11 am. London, March 20. fh» announcement that the German 'strike has been settled affords a ray of hope that the chaos will be ended and constitutional Government firmly esiaolished, but earlier messages to-day indicated *n alarming drift towards civil •war, creating doubt whether the extremists will recognise the settlement. The storm centre of the revolt shifted yeeterday from Berlin to ft? industnal west, where the Spartaciste and C° m " tnjinists have taken adrant** of the unsettled conditions, and arr maßing an effort to establish a form n» Jolshevism. They have already overr* the whole Ruhr district, and have met with a remarkable series of snccessc „ In consequence of which the Red Army is now •welled to a hundred thousand men armed with guns, armoured cars, and tma tanks. T«WM occupied by the Reds include Eaten, where there was heavy fighting, 'la which three hundred were killed. At Sberfeld, Barmen, Mulheim, Oberhausen, Kettwig and Aix la Chapelle the Government troops proved unreliable, and .•might refuge in the zone of British occupation, where they were disarmedTie Reds, to-day occupied Dusseldorff rtrithout resistance and the occupation of TXusburg is regarded as imminent. ' Belgian posts on the right bank of the Khine withdrew to the left bank. The Allies have taken every precaution to protect the Rhine bridges, and the troops are prepared for any eventualitlM. The French have moved up targe reinforcements in order to Strengthen the garrison, and the Belgians have sent seven thousand troops to Ebenburg. Other Allied troops continue to arrive is the Rhine area. Correspondents estimate the number killed hi Germany this week exceeds two thousand. There was a remarKable encounter yesterday at Leipzig between troops and workers. The latter occupied-the post office, the station, and th.3 city halL They held the neighbouring streets, which were heavily barricaded- The troops finally overcame the resistance by employing aeroplanes, from which they bombed public buildings. There were several hundred casualties. Lord Kilmarnock (British Charge tf'Affairea at Berlin), accompanied by other Allied Charge d'Affaires, congratulated the constitutional Government on Kapp's overthrow, and assured Schiffer they entirely sided with the constitutional Government. Lord Kilmarnojk waned the Government that the Allies would only supply foodstuffs, raw materials, and credits provided order prevailed in the country.—Aus.-NZ. Cable Attn.

WILL THE ALLIES ADVANCE?

FAVORED BY MARSHAL FOCH. BRITAIN AND AMERICA OPPOSE Received March 22, 5.5 p.m. Paris, March 21. The Matin learns that Admiral Evers haa been appointed Governor of Kiel, and is disarming the troops* Fighting was resumed at Leipzig, where an aeroplane was shot down. Seven hundred were killed at Dortmund, and four hundred wound Essen. • M. Millerand and Marshal Foch favor an Allied advance in order to re-es-tablish order in the Ruhr basin, and to secure the delivery of coal due to France, but there is considerable opposition on the part of America, Britain una Italy. The Matin points out that the officers who command a hundred thousand well equipped workers in the Ruhr basin are certainly not Spartacists. The Naval Brigade and the Iron Division are still in the suburbs of Berlin, and declare their determination to fight Communism.— Aug.-N.Z. Cable Assn. WARNING BY THE ALLIES.

IBOVIET WILL NOT BE RECOGNISED.

Seeetred March 22, 2;10 p.m. Berlin, March 20. It 1» announced the Allies have agreed hat to recognise any Soviet form of fjejvernment.-—United Service. POSITION ON THE RHINE. ...HTUATION BEPOBTED SERIOUS. MOBE SOVIET REPUBLICS. Received March 22, 10.30 p.m. Copenhagen, March 21. The latest reports from the Rhine ana Westphalia state the position remains most serious. . Soviet Republics have been proclaimed {n Dusseldorf and Hanborn. Received March 22, 10.30 p.m. New York, Mareb 22The Berlin correspondent of the New York Times interviewed Mr. Eric Kuttner, editor of Vorwaerts, who said Soske must resign since his own party demand his retirement. The Amy will be thoroughly reorganised and only such. officers and men may continue to serve who absolutely refused to serve under XuttwH*. The Sattgart Government x h*s abeadr taken steps to reform the \ nmT*ti& «« »• its first and prm-

LABOR WINS THE DAY. TERMS OF STRIKE SETTLEMENT. DEMOCRACY STRENGTHENED. Received March 22, 5.5 p.m. Berlin, March 21. The Coalition Parties, at a conference with the Commission of Trades Unions, accepted the following conditions for the termination of the general strike: — Firstly, representatives of the workers to participate in the reconstruction of the Cabinets of Germany and Prussia, while preserving the National Assembly's constitutional rights. Secondly, all disloyal troops to be disbanded, and formations drawn from reliable sections of the Republican population, especially organised workers substituted. Thirdly, the socialisation of such Industrial enterprises as shall admit of the process. Fourthly, all implicated in the late rebellion to be disarmed and punished, and all known reactionaries removed from the administration.

Public opinion is that although the Kapp movement has been a great misfortune to the people it will be largely compensated for by this victory, by which Democracy will be strengthened and the rights of Labor against mnltarism affirmed. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ORDER MAY BE RESTORED. "REBELLION HAS BROKEN DOV7N." A GREAT TREASON TRIAL. London, March 20. Official circles in London consider there is no good prospect of the complete restoration of order during the negotiations. The workers' leaders have greatly increased their demands, insisting on Labor control of an army for the maintenance of law and order, also the complete nationalisation of coal, copper and potash mines and the power stations. It is unknown to what extent these demands will be met, but a message states that big l concessions hnvo been made.

The Deputy Chancellor. Herr Schiffer, on behalf of the jtesident ana Government, has issued a proclamation which states that the_ armed rebellion has broken down and constitutional conditions have been re-established. Dr. Kapp has unconditionally vacated office. The State Government is now in full possession of the powers which the nation conferred on it. The nation's firm determination has succeeded in a few days in side-tracking the disastrous violation of political and economic life. The damage inflicted on the German nation at home and abroad is inestimable. *»• dustrial life has been severely shakenThe Government appeals to the nation tot resume work in order to prevent a complete breakdown.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. Berlin, March 19. The Government is determined to order a great treason trial involving the revolutionaries and many generals. It is stated that Dr. Kapp, when he discovered his desperate game had failed through many prominent men refusing to support him, behaved like a frightened schoolboy, broke down completely and wept copiously. The fact that I Kapp was the catspaw of the military I clique will not be regarded as lessening i the seriousness of his criminal action.

The Westphalian workers' Red Army which is variously estimated at 300 to 16,000 is now reported to be marching on Munster- The position at Stettin is critical. The workers must hold Rostock.—Aus.OW?. Cable Assn. ATTITUDE OF FRANCE. m COMPROMISE ON THE TREATYParis, March 10. M. Millerand, French Premier, interviewed, said that while France does not intend to interfere in Germany's internal politics, she cannot stand idly by if events threaten France's national security. France does not pursue the beaten enemy, but must insist on no compromise in regard to the treaty terms. France alone would suffer from any revision or modification of the treaty. Telegrams from the Rhineland indicate that 18,01)0 armed Spartacists are marching towards FJberfeld and Barmen. A Soviet Government has been proclaimed at Gelsenkirchen, five miles from Essen, also at Wiesbaden. British troops occupy the locality of Treves. Noske ord'c <l the arrest of General Luttwitz, Dr. Kapp, and their accomplices.

Berlin, March 20. A decree issued by the Imperial President proclaims Berlin and the province of Brandenburg in a state of «>ege. , . . The police are empowered to search motoT-cars and unauthorised bearers of arras will be shot on the spot. An extraordinary court-martial has been established. I The lynching of twenty officers of the Baltic Contingent in the, Schoneberg suburb of Berlin was due to their arrogant attitude arousing the mob, which pulled them from a motor-lorry one by one and beat and kicked them to death. Panic reigns and there is heavy fighting between the Baltic troops, which halted outside the Brandenburger gate, land the Spartacists. Over 100 were killed.—Aus.-NZ. Cable Assra. London, March 19. A Stuttgart message states that Herr Noske has resigned. Herr Bauer, the Premier, in a speech in the National Assembly, emphasised that General Ludendorff was the first to rfeit Dr. Kapp in Chancellery.

"A BARREL OF GUNPOWDER."

This morning's telegrams from Berlin compare the city to a barrel of gunpowder, while the whole of Germany, except the southern States, is in a rebellious condition. The departure of the Iron Division and Naval Brigade yesterday was attended by further bloodshed, jjUtrs marched through the Branded

burg Gate, with drums beating and Prussian flags flying, the men carrying loaded rifles and their fingers on the triggers. They could not have behaved with more provocation.

Despite the Tain, crowds, composed mainly of workmen, gathered and jeered at the troops. An elegantly dressed woman at the Adlon Hotel waved a. farewell to the soldiers- The crowd suddenly broke, upon which the troops fired, mostly in the air. Four were killed and ten wounded. When next the detachment passed the crowd rushed them and a desperate encounter ensued, the soldiers turning their weapons on their own comrades in the chaos. The casualties ware, able.

Another encounter took place in Charlottenburg, twenty being killed. Correspondents state that no one believed the troons would be disarmed. The Australian Press Association learns that private telesrnms indicate that the troops did not proceed to T)oebiertz, but encamped in the outskirts of Berlin awaiting developments. The troops may be expected to take advantage of any situation created by the Spartacists.

GENERAL STRIKE CONTINUES. The attitude of the workers is awaited with anxiety. The general strike continues. The leaders demand tlm resignation of Eerr Noske and the Prussian Minister (Herr Heine), no amnesty for Luttwita and his confederates, and the extensive participation of the workers in the new Govei\;nient...

The Daily Chronicle's Berlin correspondent says that spectators breathlessly watched the Hotel Adlon battle from the windows for a few moments-

It appeared that a terrible massacre was likely. Soldiers were running hither and thither firing rifles, throwing hand-grenades, and machine-guns were chattering. Later the troops emerged from the shelters, re-formed their ranks and in deathly silence resumed the historic march which marks the end of Juukerdom. _ A bomb exploded outside the British Embassy while the Naval Division was passing and several people in the street were killed or injured. The Embassy was not damaged. Herr Bernstein denounced Ludendorff as the evil genius behind the revolution, and describes him as the chief wirepuller. One thing the revolution lias achieved has been the increase of the German people's hatred of militarism, which will result in strong democratic control of the army.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.