Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-04-12
SITUATION IN THE RUHR
REPORTED WE'LL IN HAND
Newspaper Correspondent and or
fetal American Investigator Tour
Industrial Region.
ni kARL d. VON WIEGAND.

WV W AND.
ESSEN. April lin company with
official American investigator. who
had been instructed to make an in
dependent and impartial report OH
the situation In the Ruhr district.
have just completed a two-ds.y motor
tour OF villa, is known AZ the in.
dustrial heart or Germany. nv nf.
forts were in the direction of cs,ab-
fishing the number OF troops I'm IN.
neutral zone. the real extent of the
insurrectionnry movement and gem
eral conditions.
we visited Dusseldorf. Duisburr
iiamhorn. Ruhrort, Dicnstlak.n
Vessel Bottrop. Essen. Muiheim,
RatinScn and other points in the cen
ter Of the disturbed section
The Ruhr Industrial rerion. upon
which Germany Is 40 largely dc
pendent for the fultillmen, OF tho in
dustrial provisions OF the peace
treaty. is for the moment generally
quiet again.
Production Again Resumed
Since Thursday. when the Rcichs-
wchr entered Essen without oppusi-
ton and e-estahlishcd law and
order and tho authority OF tho cen
trail government. tho forests OF
'hi'iinc!S thTOuBnout the region are
beiching smoke again. Almost nor
NAL coal production has been re.
Surncd and work has been taken up
again everywhere.
The government. with tho aid or
the Rcichswchr. has the situation
well In hand. excepting IN the south
wncrr. In Dusseldorf. Elbcrfcld anu
carmen. the radical workmcn's coun-
els remain i'll control, but even there
T. quiet and work has been resumed.
MaJor-GeneraI Kabisch. command
! ing the northern section OF the Ruhr:
Colonel Won Baumbach. of the Essen
sector. and other comman ders freely
placed their official reports and troop
strength figures at our disposal.
From those IL would appear that
there arc forty-flvc battalions of in
fan;ry. each averaging about $50
mon. with some as low $50. and
forty-iivc batteries OF artillery. or
100 men each. In and around tho
thirty mile neutral zone Of the Ruhr.
Heavy Guns In Evidence.
The weakness In infantry is made
up for largely by 1870 field guns and
howitz"rs. an artillery equipment out
Of all proportion To the infantry. for
tn" purpose OF moral effect.
Essen. a city OF 100000 population,
almost exclusively workers. has been
reoccupi"d by two battalions of in
fantry. altogether ISl men. two bat
tcries. and shout Zoo security police.
who seem to have no difficulty Ia
maintaining order. cnablin. 6O00g
men 10 return to work.
we found the Rciciswchr chiefly
distributed in small details. doing
police duty over Il large area.
Based on observations covering
two days on the roads and in towns
along them. together with the figures
wc were shown. 1t appears THAT not
more than 5000 Rcichswchr aud
Sicherheitswchr were in tho neutral
zone OF til: Ruhr. and not more than
20, 900 in the entire movement for
the suppression OF the Ruhr .jnsur-
rcction.
We found little evidence to support
the French generals proclamation In
Frankfort jua,ifying the occupation
on iii" ground that the Berlin gov
crumcrt had opened an offensive
against the workmen in tho I.uhr.
ON the contrary. the conclusion was
unacceptable that tn" Berlin govern
mont. by failin. to take prompt ac-
ton. made the Red revolt possible.
Among the majority members Of tho
Essen municipal council the Berlin
government is bitterly reproachcd
for It's long inaction.