The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-10-01
GERMANY TAKES
HALF Ab|LLION
FROM BELGIUM
,onfiscates Much Machinery
And Materials In Addition
In Four Years Of Occupa-
ton.

PARIS, Aug. 3l-tCorrespondence
4 The Associated Press) ~ Germany
las exacted war contributions from
-lelgium during the first four years of
he war amounting to total OF S466,-
90. 900. This Ia in addition TO the vast
mount of machinery. materials and
nen taken from Belgium to sustain
iermany.
In this fifth year of war II is interest
ng to review the financial activities
\, 4 the Germans in Belgium since that
ateful day in Belgium's history, Aug
tst 20, 1914, when the German hordes
entered Brussels.
During that month, as the Ger
nan armies were hacking their way
through the little kingdom, numerous
owns and cities were fired" and war
contributions were levied from each
province as the Germans progressed
iouthwestward.
The first move of the German staff
when entering a town was to proceed
% the City Hall and announce to the
3urgOmaster that for resisting the ad
vance Of the Emperor Williams ar
mics, his city or town had been fined
30 many thousand or million francs
rs the case might be When Che Bur.
y0master would demonstrate, Uhlan's
and Deaths Head Hussars' would ca.
vort innocently in City Han Square
Or the Burgomaster would be taken
prisoner.
l1iege the German commander of the
company entering the town informed
The BurgOmaster that n war contrib.
ltiOn of 100000 francs would have to
he forthcoming within two hours. The
BurgOmaster demurred. Meyer in the
history OF the little town had there
been so much money in the city treas
ury. At the present moment, there
was only n little over three thousand
francs In the strong box.
well, Wen take that" calmly re.
fpOnded the German.
More than 20O,O000O francs were
thus levied between August and No.
lvember. 1914.
Then Field Marshal Baron Won der
Goltz-Pasha decreed that Belgium
would have to pay Il monthly contribu
tion of 4O,00O.O0O francs during one
year and II would not be increased
and that It would not he renewed. The
Pasha's decree, however, proved to be
but another scrap of paper.
In November 1915, Baron Won Ris-
sing called upon the councils of the
mine Belgian provinces TO meet and
Uniformed them that the promise CT his
predecessor had been made In good
'faith but with the implied condition
that war would be ended within the
year and that he saw no alternative
hut than to renew the monthly con
'tribution OF 40,0O0,O00 francs for an,
;other year
On the 10th of November, 1916. in.
'Htead OF abolshing the onerous tax
.0n Belgium, Won Bissing decided that
lowing TO the duration of the war, the
lincrease In prices high cost of living
l--he would have to increase the
'monthly payments to 80 0O0. 600 francs
He added ominously, temporarily"
u proved 10 be so, indeed, for, on
the 2lst day of May, 1917. the contri
button was further raised 10 co OOO. OOO
francs.
The flow Of francs into the Golfers
'of the War Lord" was too small tc
satisfy the gargantuan appetitcs OF
,the military men however, and ON the
/ 18th OF September, 1916 they seized
$50 100000 million marks, constituting
sall the deposits In German bills o,
the Banque Rationale and tho Soclete
uenerale de Belgique, the two larges,
banks In Belgium. When one of the
Directors OF the Societc Generate re
fused to divulge that part of The com
( binat.on OF the vaults which he alon,
knew and without which the vault,
could not be opened, the Germans sal,
! that they would blow them open viii
nigh explosives The director rathc
than have the vaults of the instltutio,
wrecked decided to acquiesce. Thu
what will probably 30 down as IN
greatest burglary OF modern times wa
perpetraied.
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