Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-19
GERMANS DEMAND
BELG|ANS LAST FRANC
Despoilers Have Shamefully Loot
ed Country They First
Laid Waste.

Paris. August % Correspondence
Of the Associated Press Germany has
cxacted war contributions from Pelgum
during the first four years Of the war
amounting to a total Of 1866, 600 ,OoO.
This is IN addition To the vast amount
Of machinery. materials and men taken
from Pelglum 10 sustain Germany
In this fifth year Of war II IS interest
ing 70 review the financial activities %
the Germans IN Belgium SINCE the fate
ful day IN Belgium : history. August ~,
1911, when the German hordes entered
Brussels
During that month. IS the German
armies were hacking their way through
the little kingdom, numerous towns and
cities were fined" and war contrlbut-
ions were levied from each province as
the Germans progressed southwestward.
The first move Of the German staff
when entering town was 70 proceed
10 the City Hall and announce 70 the
Burgonaster that for resisting the ad-
vance of the Emperor William armies
his CITY or town had been fled 30 many
thousand or million francs, as the case
might be When the Burgomaster would
demonstrate. Uhlans and Death 5 Head
Hussars would cavort innocently IN
City Hall Square or the Burgomaster
would be taken prisoner.
In one instance in the Province OF
Iiege the German commander OF the
company entering the town informed the
Rurconaster that war contribution OF
100 600 francs would have 70 be forth
coming with two hours. The Burgomaster
demurred. Never in the history of the
little town had there been so much
money in the city treasury. At the
present moment, there was only little
over three thousand francs IN the
strong box.
We'll. we'll take that calmly re-
sponded the German.
More than 200 600, 600 francs were
thus levied between August and Novem-
Der. 1914.
Then Field Marshal Baron Won der
| Goltz-Pasha decreed that Belgium
would have to pay monthly contribut-
! ION of I0.000. 900 francs during one year
and il would not be increased and that
| il would not be renewed The PashA ;
decree, however, proved 10 be but an
| other scrap of paper.
In November, 1915, Baron Won BlsSlng
called upon the councils OF the mne
| Relgian provinces 10 meet and informed
| them that the promise OF has prede-
1 ceSSOf iau htSu Hiddt IN AcoA lAh't -
! but with the implied condition that wal
would bc ended within the year and
hat he saw no alternative but than tc
renew the monthly contribution o.
10000, 900 francs for another year
On the 20th Of November, 1916
| instead of abolishlng the onierous tay
on Relgium. Won Rissing decided that
owing 10 the duration OF the war, th'
increase in prices high cost of living
he would have TO increase the monthly
payments 10 80, 600 900 francs lie addeC
| omlnouslY, temporarily.
1t proved to be SO, indeed, for on tn
Dist of May, 1917, the contribution wa
further raised TO 10000, 900 francs
The flow of francs into the Golfers 0
the War Lord was too small to salts
fy the gargantuan appetltcs OF tn
military men however, and ON the I2tl
of September, 1916, they seized
43O .0O0. 900 marks, constituting al
the deposits in German bills of to-
Ranque Rationale and the Soclete Gener
ale de Petgique, the two largest bank
in Belgium. When one Of the Direction
Of the Societe Generate refused TO dIvulg
that part of the continuation OF tn
vaults which he alone knew and wIthou
| which the vaults could not be opened
the Germans said that they would bloy
them open with high explosives. Th
director rather than have. the vault
of the institution wrecked decided t
acquiesce. Thus what will probably <
down as the greatest burglary of moderl
times was perpetrated.