GUNS IN GERMANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1922, Page 5

GUNS IN GERMANY.

589 HOWITZERS FOUND. WALLED Up IN CELLARS. DISCOVERY BY OFFICERS. * London, Dec. 29. Some ijime ago British and French officers of the Inter-Allied Commission discovered 342 10.5 howitzers in the Rockstroh works, near Dresden. Last week, thanks to the energy and persistence of these officers, there has been brought to light almost seven times the number of guns of this character allowed for the whole Germany Army by the Treaty of Versailles. The story of deceit goes back to the summer of 1920, when the Rockstroh works were visited for the first time by members of the Inter-Allied Mission of Military Control. Rifling of guns was the chief business of the works. The managing director, Herr Rockstroh, was questioned on the subject and he declared that he possessed no special machines for making war material, that he had destroyed all machines previously employed for making war material, and that he had no plans or sketches concerning war material. All these statements proved to be untrue.

Last October another visit was made to the works and Herr Rockstroh, jun., confirmed the statement made the previous year by his father. A few minutes later it became evident that he was prevaricating. Two machines fpr rifling guns were found. Certain important parts of these were, however, missing, and Herr Rockstroh stated that they had been destroyed. It was not true. On December 9 the different parts of the machines were discovered by the British and French colonels inspecting the works. The following day three more rifling machines were found bricked up in a cellar. Great ha I to be overcome before the search fcr howitzers was begun. Information had been received which led the Allied officers in the district to suspect that the guns were still in the works and a visit was made to the factory. FRENZIED HORDE OF WORKERS.

They were not permitted to enter on the first day and on the following day Herr Rochstroh had staged a dramatic scene for their benefit. He refused to have the locked gates leading to the factory opened, and while he was speaking a couple of hundred workmen swarmed on the wall cutting off the factory grounds -from the office courtyard and climbed down, brandishing their arms and hurling menaces at the I persistent visitors. Surrounded by a frenzied horde which barred the way to the works the two officers had to retire. The works were, however, put under observation, so that nothing could be secretly removed from them. BEHIND A NEW BRICK WALL. It was curious that the key of one door was missing. With dogged persistence they insisted that the door must be opened. After a long delay the key was found and they entered an empty white-washed cell. The search teemed to be fruitless; then they noticed that the whitewash on one of the walls of the cell appeared to be fresher than that of the other three. The French colonel stabbed at it with a knife and found that the mortar between the. whitewashed bricks was soft. He and his British colleague demanded that a brick should be taken out. They were met by a curt refusal and«told that to tamper with the wall would endanger the safety of the whole building. Again they had to retire. Next day, however, accompanied by an architect and a high official of the Saxon Government, they returned. A brick was removed when it was at once seen that the wall concealed a spacious room. Here were discovered the first batch of guns. Pretending that the game was up, Herr Rockstroh showed where the rest of the 342 guns were concealed. Some of them were found in a room with a door on which the words “Ladies’ lavatory” had been recently painted. At that time the Allied Commissioners had no idea that there were more than 342 guns on the premises, and Herr Rockstroh cleverly gave himself the air of a man who had been forced to throw up his hands. Nevertheless, a fortnight later three more rifling machines were discovered, walled up in a cellar, and 12 .pieces of spare parts for the breeches of guns already found were discovered. And to-day the bag of howitzers •mounts to 589.