The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-01-26
PREPARATIONS TO
Continued From Pace One

c.lse in the Lazenaur incident at Co
logne.
Nevertheless the morning news
papers regard the situation as deli.
cate one and believe that avoidance
of difficulties depends almost entire
ly upon the tact and discretion of the
men on the spot. -,
The British government has made
no statement to allay to public an
xiety, but it is understood that it will
not consent to British cooperation in
the application within the Cologne
area of any Sanctions" to which the
French and Belgians agree unless
the London government gives it as.
sent.
1t now seems most probable that
French henceforth will avoid awak-
ening British feeling in this matter
and thus 1t is expected that the ex-
element occasiDned by the arrest of
Herr Lazenaur Is not likely to -ecur.
Second Phase Occupation
Paris, January 25.-The departure
OF General Weygand and NJ. lie Troc
quer, minister of public works, for
the Ruhr late last night, marks the
opening of the second phase of the
occupation, it is believed here.
When the French entered the
Ruhr, the Paris government assumed
that the Germans would accept the
move as inevitable, but, events have
proved the contrary. Therefore, the
French, it is declared, are about to
change their methods.
In the first place, the occupation
will be put on systematic basis.
According to some reports the occu-
pied territory will be practically cut
of from the rest of Germany: Sec
ondly it is understood that NJ. Coste,
head of the occupying mission, has
complained to the government that
General Degoutte does not collabor-
ate satisfactorily with him. Lastly,
it is pointed out that the Rhineland
commission acts Independently of NJ.
Caste and General Degoutte.
Object Of Mission
1t is to obtain report on these
points that M. lie Trocquer and Gen
eral Weygand have undertaken their
mission. Consequently, nothing def
mite will be decided until they re
turn. but the press generally assumes
that General Weygand will take com
mand of the occupation as a whole.
NJ. Loucheur, the former minister of
liberated regions, is said to have de-
clined to undertake the task.
That France contemplates imme-
date steps to strengthen her hand
in the occupied area is seen in the
announcement that $3.50 railway men
have been sent to the Ruhr "for a
period of instructionbof limited dur
alton 1t was generally expected
that the services of other technical
groups will be utilized when General
Weygand and the minister of public
works have looked the ground over.
A Dusseldorf dispatch to the Ma
tin says the Ruhr railway men de-
clared general strike when they
learned that the mine directors had
been fined at Mayence. The CORES
pendent asserts that other workers
organizations took important action.
The railway strike, the dispatch
added, became effective in part at
eight o'clock last evening.
Poles issue Orders.
A semi official news agen& in
Berlin is in receipt of information
from Warsaw that the Polish war
ministry has ordered men Of the
Polish and former German armies,
whose service time has expired anu
who are familiar with the operation
OF railways, mines, SIN citing works
selves at the disposal of the French
government, say a Refers dispatch.
The men will be shipped from
Danzeig to the Ruhr, the dispatch
reports. They must be fully ac-
quainted with the German language
and are guaranteed high wages.
Rail Service Paralyzed.
Dusseldorf, January 25.-Virtual-
ly the entire railway system Of the
Ruhr valley and the occupied terri
tory Immediately adjoining was
paralyzed today by strike Of the
The disorganization of public
utilities, which has been slowly
spreading throughout the Ruhr
since the beginning Of the Franco
Belgian occupation, thus received
great impetus.
The main rail lines on, both the
right and left banks Of the Rhine
are tied up along a stretch of near
ly fifty miles between Vessel to the
north of Dusseldorf and Cologne,
south of this city. The Paris Berlin
and Warsaw Paris expresses are
stalled in the Dusseldorf station.
Two trains of foodstuffs from Hol-
land represented the only move
ment by rail into the interior of the
Ruhr during the morning.
.... Key Men To Strike.
In addition the telegraph and tele-
phone employees of the postal. serv-
ice, informed General Deniges today
that the operators would strike at
midnight. The French commanded
replied with a threat that the lead
ers would be, sent to jail. The Mo-
bile crew of telegraphers which
customarily follows President Mil
lerand on his official tours has ar
rived in Dusseldorf and is ready
to take over the service in the
event of a strike.
Minister As Burglar
Berlin, January 23.-GeZa Behr,