GERMAN HATE.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15561, 10 April 1916, Page 2

GERMAN HATE.

DUJfEDIN LADY'S EXPERIENCE

SPIES EVERYWHERE,

Miss May Barron, a daughter of Mr William Barron, of Caversham, returned v> Dnnedin on Wednesday, after an absence in England and the Continent of over three years. Miss Barron had been studying music in Leipzig at the outbreak of the war, and eight months elapsed before she was enabled to get across the border to Holland.

In the course of an interview with an "Otago Daily Times" reporter, M'ss Barron, gave some interesting particulars of her experiences. She spoke of the implacable hatred of the Germans for the British. The German nation had been led by its newspapers to believe that it was absolutely certain that it was through Britain that the war had been brought about. The Germans had always had a quarrel with I' ranee, whom they believed they would ha_\ e settled very quickly, and they had also no fear of the Russians. Presumably, they did not expert Britain to enter into the war. and her advent had 11 P~ seti their calculations. The Germans were terrified of the British Navy, and fear had added fuel to their hate. They have oiil* one regret a'>out the war. and that 'is that they did not march through Belgium a week earlier. But the Kaiser was not anxious to furl it till the sword had been placed m his hand! "The Kaiser is to them a god," said Mis s Barron. "Everything that comes from headquarters is believed unquestionably. The mass _in Saxony are harmless, hard-working people, and believe everything that is told them." While in Leiozitr. and later on, when she resided in Chemnitz, whither she had been ordered to remove, Miss Barron, with other foreigners, was kept under constant surveillance by the police. She had to report herself twice daily to the authorities—at J a.m. and o p.m. On the other hand, the Russians.had to report themselves onlv once a week. Miss Barron stated that it was really remarkable how the secret service was acquainted with the history of every foreigner residing in Germany, the system whereby, in peace time, a re-ord had to be kervt of visitors staying at hotels, proving most valuable in assisting the police oil the outbreak of war. She related two German youths called at her flat to say good-bye to her and her friends, and on leaving the flat —as she learned subsequently— they were arrested. Fortunately, said Miss Barron, our account of the circumstance. when the police waited on us, coincided with that of the two German youths when they were put _ under examination. "The police dogged our footsteos, and I never dared to stop to read any cxtr.m relating to the war which I might notice posted on the walls, etfi. . . . Fortunately, we had money to pay our way. but one. i>ooi Australian lxiy who frankly admitted that, his money was exhausted, was informed hy tlic (icriuan authorities they would take cat-e of him. ancl he was thereupon put in gaol, and given hard labour. A lot of peonle were shot in Leipzig while I was there, for one thing or another." . Miss Barron gave an instance of German hatred. A young Australian girl had an afFection of the throat which required cauterisation. She called at a specialist at Chemnitz, but v.' ll " informed by the nurse attendant that it was doubtful whether the doctor would see her —she was British. However; the doctor decided to see her. but he would not speak to her. All instructions were given, to the patient through the nui'se. Thus. "Tell her- (the pa-i tient.) to open her mouth; tell her to close it," etc. . . "There is no person in_ this world the German is so down on,'' continued Miss Barron, "as those foreigners in Germany who have not become naturalised, and have thus cscaped compulsory military sorvjce. They have enioyed all the mivileges of residence in Germany, as they put it, but have not faced the responsibilities of .military service 1 knew two British boys whose father' had lived in Germany all his life, but had not become naturalised. These lads could only sneak German, and their feeling was German; they desired, in fa°t. to finht with the German armies. Thev, however, were not accepted, and finally were interned with other foreigners in Ruhleben_ it was impossible to change your nationality in Germany after thq war had commenced." "If we could onlv get over to England." say the German soldiers. They have hpen told that the Allies were the first to use poisonous gns"« Their newspapers put in this way, "We only used poisonous gases because our enemies started using them. Ts that fair to our men? Must ffe 11 °t pay them back in their own coin?' All tho murderous steps taken bv Germany to destroy the enemy are said to have first originated by the Allies. _ The German- say they are merely giving tit for tat." .... • e Miss Barron spoke, in high praise ot •the wonderful organisation of the German military and secret systems. Tt was sinir-ly impossible to move without the necessary papers, and the taking and "examination of the fin-prer-Tw'uts was an everv-day o"currence. Barron was. as already stated, enabled to ni"ke escape from GermpT>v to Holland. She w;]•- '/• von to understand that if she got fo the border nfc midnight, on a certain drtp she would be to rro but that.- if troops wer n h"in<r moved, or a train wac delayed. no 'Ion 1 -' tli" "bonce to leave would havn She had to chance from trains oicl't end was not allowed to move from ihe stath">«.

M'>s Birron snvq that the'y n, distinct of u"™«t. oven when she T«is i-.i TT.">il."->d. The m"ss tho pp<v)]p were in fivmii- o* 1 the Allies, while the povefMir: favoured the Germane. The H-ol'UrwWs. lionr"vorn the "d"vil nnd +be deep S on.." ns ;f they «idnd with Germarr they '««■" their enormously wealthy Still. f'"v but a verv email nation as against. Germany, and the s" ,v ie remark applied tn Denmark. Mi*-« Barro" thnt onppn Wilhelmi°a. of Rolled, bad forgiven Britain over the Boer War.