TROUBLE OVER FLAG

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23181, 29 October 1938, Page 15

TROUBLE OVER FLAG

JEWS AND NAZI EMBLEM DECORATIONS AT DANCE INCIDENT ON LINER Tertso feeling engendered by the international.situation last month, and by the fears of a European war, was apparent among some of the passengers on tho Orcades while the crisis was at its height, according to travellers who arrived by the liner yesterday. The Orcades, which was in the vicinity of Colombo, on the way to Australia and New Zealand, had among her passengers a number of refugee Jews of various nationalities, including Germans, Austrians, Poles and Italians, and there was also on board a small party of Nazis. Incidents arising out of the feeling that developed, including the disappearance of a Nazi flag that had been used as part of tho decorations for a dance, were described by passengers when the liner arrived yesterday. They said that opinion on board was strong against Hitler, and even the Nazis were not comfortable, as they thought that in the event of hostilities they would be interned;' ' - v . "At the height of the crisis, a dance was held on deck, and among the decorations, which included flags, was a large Nazi flag," a passenger said. "The Jews went to the sports committee and said that they would go below and take no further part in the festivities unless the flag were removed. The sports committee considered the matter, and, while ft'was doing so, the offending emblem disappeared, presumably overboard. • • "Sohie of the passengers were very worried," he continued. "One woman fainted one night while listening to tho broadcast of news.

"When the ship was approaching Colombo, there was some speculation whether she would be stopped there and camouflaged, before continuing her voyage at full speed," he said. "There was some talk of armed German merchantmen in the vicinity, but the Orcades was known to he faster than them by many knots. However, it all came to nothing, and tho trip was continued without incident."