GERMAN HATE

Grey River Argus, 13 April 1916, Page 2

GERMAN HATE

. DUNEDIN LADY'S EXPERIENCE SPIES EVERYWHERE. Miss May Barron, a daughter of Mr. William Barron, of Cavorsham, returned to Dunedin recently, 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. L

In the co,urse of an interview with an "(Jtago Daily limes'' reporter, Miss iJarron gave some interestingparticulars of her experiences. , She spoke of the implacable hatred of ttie 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 France, whom they believed the)- would have settled very quickly, and they had also no fear of the Russians. Presumably, they did not expect Britain to enter into the war, and her advent had upset their calculations. The Germans were terrified of the British Navy, and fear had added fuel to their hate. . They have only one regret about the war, and that is that they did not march through Belgium a week earlier, But the Kaiser was not anxious •to fight till the sword had been placed n his hand! "The Kaiser is to them a god," said Miss Barron. "Everything that comes from headquarters is believed unquestionably. T,he mass in Saxony are harmless, hard-working people, and believe everything that is told them." While in Leipzig, and later oil, 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 q a.m. and 5 p.m. On the other hand the Russians had to report themselves only 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, th esystem whereby in peace time, a record had to be kept of j vistors staying at hotels, proving most • valuable in assisting the police on the outbreak of war. She related how two German youths called at her flat to say good-bye' to j her and her friends, and on leaving I the flat — as she learned subsequently — they were arrested. . Fortunately, I 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 dodged our footsteps, and I never dared to stop to read an extras relating to the war which I might notice post- j ed on the walls, etc. . . Fortunately; | we had money to pay our way, but , one poor Australian boy who frankly 1 admitted that his money was exhausted, was informed by the German authorities they would take care of him, and he was thereupon put in gaol, < and given hard labour. A lot of people were shot in Leipzig wjiile 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 ; was informed by the nurse atetndant . that it was doubtful whether the doc- ; tor would see. her — she was British. However, the doctor decided to se*e , her, but he would not speak to her.! Al! instructions were given. to the patient through the nurse. Thus, "Tell her (the patient) to open her mouth ; " tel! 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 escaped compulsory military service. They have enioyed all the privileges of residence in Germany, as they put it, but have not faced the responsibilities of military service. I knew two British boys whose father ha dlived in Germany all his life, but had not become naturalised. These lads could only speak German, and their feeling was German ; they desired, in fact, to fight with the German armies. They however, were not accepted, and finally were interned with other foreigners at Ruhleben. It was impossible to change your nationality in Germany after the war had commenced. "Tf we. could only get over to England.'' say the German soldiers. They have been told that the Allies were the first to use poisonous gases. Their newspapers put in this way, "We used poisonous gases because our enemies started using them. Is that fair to our men? Must we not pay them back in their own coin?" All the murderous steps taken by ; Germany to destroy the enemy are said to have first originated by the Allies. The Germans say they are merely giving tit for tat." . . M''ss Barron spoke 111 high praise of the wonderful organisation of the German miltary and secret service sys-' terns. It was simply impossible to move without the necessary papers, and the taking and examination of the finger prints was an every-day occurrence. Miss Barron was, as already stated, enabled to make her escape from Germany to Holland. She was given to understand that if she got,; to the border at midnight on a cer-. tain date she would be allowed to go, but that if troops were being moved, o ra train was delayed, then no doubt the chance to leave would have passed She had to change from trains eight, times and was not allowed to move from the stations. Miss Barron says that there was a instinct feeline: of unre?^ even when sHe was in Holland. The "mass of I the people were in favour of the Allies, while the governing classes favoured the Germans. The Hollanders, however, were between the nVvil and the deep sea,." as if they sided with Germany they would lose then enormously wealthy colonies. . Still n" of Holland, l^d never forgiven tain over the Boer War.