The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-03-10
GERMAN PLOT
UNCOVERED BY
TIE DELGIAN5
DESTRUCTION OF ALL
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
In Belgium and Northern
France Planned BIZ Ger
man Government.

PARIS. March =. ,iy Tia" Ass""IH'"d
Press. r:vld"H,': T.: ar' "rga"iH"'' NyN-
tenn. for the Destruction "t shops ANA
1nanurarlur3ms plants 4" l;"iginm AMI
northern Franc" hy IHr G""manS has
bccI uncovered by III" EruSS''lS rJltr" IN
documrn;S l"iI h"hiud am"n% IN" reg
ur,!S Of IN" ,irr'ngn government during
the occupation Il ltrusS"!y. la View at
the fact that l:..lsIun iS cNprrt"d short
~ L. fix the Indemnify which Il viii DC
tnnnd trnru ,i"cmauy. IA" documents,
which were furnished io Til" Associated
rrcss by the belgium r";lr" Gr."Sttiou.
;,prcnr timely.
On their face l!r" documents S""m 20
were founded by and Operated under ihc
auspices al the gu:c:Wmcut II "ccu-
patton They were tiv" III nunIl'cr--
first. the Gutchui;uunrShutt" company
Of OhcrhauScn; second. li"!r. l-"hnanU
and Company OF Dusseldorf: third. j.
tIilgcrs of Nshrinhr"h!; fourth. &. II.
Jucho. OF Drrtmund: fifth. y. Berlin
firm (nIne almost ill"SIhl" on index
card) probably Ercesl ANA Company.
Immediately upon the occupation "t
Northern Franco and belgium Il cont
plctr inventory Of all. Tia" material ana
machinery nt the larE" plants WAS taken
by 4 special organization. Full !ndiccs
! were made. L copy OF which Was sup
piled to the various companies under 4
German official IN Brussels. The index
cards were OF different cntors, yellow
cards representing thu district II: Luncy-
Rricy which was CHl!"d "jh" yellow
zone" green cards cnr Mau"uE and vic!-
i'nity known Us 9TH" grr"n zone tn"
blue zone being the region 81 Lille aud
Douat.
| Tho five destruction companies had
! to apply 10 the SpcclaI organization for
! permission to Cummrncc work on any
! plant, the organization returning tiN,
| percent commits S$iOn on tn" @ruSS v;tlu".
Us we'll as 90 marks. 50 pi"nnnSS ir:
! ton on the iron destroyed and Is pfrn-
; niCs for each meter "f destroyed ma
terial. This was done in order /" REIN
; hursc itself for m" l;thnr supplied To thu
| destruction companies consisting Q!
! prisoners or war.
! The companies were required 10 pay
] within thirty dayS tho sab prc" agreed
upon with tho special urGLn,&nti0n. HC-
cording to the latt"-s' valuation OF tn"
plant involved. Machinery and mater ial
were first removed from the plants and
shipped to Germany. especially all boil
crs. rolling stock. electrical apparatus
| zinc and copper and mar"rialS Of a &imt-
| lar character.
| On December 81 1871. tho fiv" firms
| mentioned had mad" profits aEgrrEat'nc
: about 1.50o,G0n marks according 10 the
/ Belgian estimate. On April 20 1915. tho
same firms had removed I" Germany for
! the German Quartcrmastrr's department
! 1l,626.3O6 tons OF iron and 2h1,"42.enS
| SQUARE meters Of oth"~ materials such rs
! wood. glass. zinc and in. They had
Also removed for tn" account Of German
, firms .4.a93.ScT tons II iron and st"c
and about %0o.Ooo.on0 square meters "i
! other material.
! The mon engaged in N" work wore
| German engineers GO: French and H"l'
| gans. civilians 81. expert German sol
! diers 9SS. war prisoners l.oS9. Tho sal
aries paid wore: Engineers 5h marks
| daily; forcmrn 35 marks: carpenters =;
marks; ordinary workn"n "I marks.