GERMANY’S BOY POWER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4710, 7 November 1917, Page 5

GERMANY’S BOY POWER.

1920 CLASS .COMES SOON

STATEMENTS OF PRISONERS

This morning our troops somewhat disturbed!'the peace of the Sabbath by an attack north of the Souchez (wrote one of Reuter’s special correspondents from France one Sunday in July). From what I can learn, it was quite successful in improving our position toward the Cite du Moulin, throughout yesterday the British and Canadians vied with each other in ing the Germans south of Fosse 4, where the junction north of the railway spreads out into a maze of sidings. The Canadians carried their line forward a depth of about 2130yds resolutions which the Chamber voted on a width of about a third of a mile. Yesterday, nortlv-west of Bullecourt a few of our machine-guns and snipers opened a - brisk-f usillade upon a ers opened a brisk fusilade upon a Almost immediately from all along the Boche trenches there soared a line display of light signals, the result ’of which was to call down a heavy barrage. It was pretty cleai that* the enemy mistook •the little spurt of firing for an attack. an« the panicky way in which lie responded throws a pretty good sidelight upon the state, of nervous tension in which he nowadays lives, lne more the Germans .blaze away their ammunition the bettor, for tlicie ate not wanting signs that they cannot afford to be too lavish in that direction In a letter picked up m a dlugout a. couple of days, ago, dated Mav 28, the following passage occurs : —“The church bells have pealed a farewell-this week. All of them aie to lie taken awa v and _ smelted dow n and turned into shells.”

RIFT IN THE ARMY

There continues to he traces of evidence that the rift within the German army is increasing- oome of tile Bavarians and the Prussians are almost openly hostile to one another. It is said that a Bavarian unit, which flatly refused to take part in an attack upon the Arras front, lias been sent back to Germany to do garrison dutv, and, if this came to be generally known, there might be a good many-refusals, in the hope of attaining "the same result. Recently a company of Bavarians, who had just come out of the trenches met a party of Prussians, who' were billeted in the same village, and a free fight ensued. The principal cause for the growing bitterness of feeling is the idea that the Prussians expect the. Bavarians to bear more than tlieir fair share in the fighting, which is very probably the case. Many Saxons seem to have been with drawn from opposite the British front, and it does not appeal unreasonable to associate this, .with comparative half-heartedness in the war. Prisoners say that‘the Poles and Alsatians are a source of weakness rather than strength, that the& desert or surrender as freely as they dare, and that they are always distributed as widely as possible among other troops, owing to the mistrust with which they are regarded.

MAN AND BOY

Wo liavo been talking for a considerable, while past of Germany s dwindling man-power. I- think we may soon begin to speak ot her dwindling boy-power. A captured leDei dated June 17, says ‘Tomorrow four more, boys, aged l'i, are being taken from our villages ’ A lad of the 1920 class writing from Mannheim on May 29, says: ‘lf the war does not end 1 soon, I shall be a spldiei about Christmas time. We have already been mustered, and the IJiJ class is being called up this i week It is really terrible when boys liLe us are being turned in soldiers 1 was 17 in April.” A letter .written from Hamburg on Ma v 23 says: dho youtlis aged 17 were caUedl mp this morning. - They were mere childicn. Ninth- expects to go any v f he 18 in October.” A youtl fvil pnsoner taken during the week stated that his brother, who is not IS■September, has been palled ■< up, nj that his cousin, who is 18 next Jan uarv is about to be mustered Mtances of this character could be multSlicd ad infinitum, and the knowledge of the condition to which Geimany is reduced in order to_ manta in r her cadres cannot but have a most depressing effect upon the troops in the trenches from whom if is- lmpossible to hide it.