GERMAN STORY OF THE ARMISTICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17533, 27 January 1919, Page 6

GERMAN STORY OF THE ARMISTICE

IN A LONELY WOOD. A member of ■&© German Armistico Delegation communicates to the Vossische Zeitunsj the following account of the meeting with Marshal Foch, and the Allied delegates:— When, on November 5, -we left Spa in motor cars and reached the French lines, we found enemy carriages already waiting to take us to the unknown eoene of negotiations. This motor tour with the French officers lasted 10 hours, and ft appears likely was intentionally prolonged in order to drive us all over the devastated province, and prepare us by what we saw for what was shortly to bo put before us ia the way of hatred and revenge in the extremely severe armistice conditions. Now and again a Frenchman pointed silently to heaps of rains, or mentioned a name, Viola St. Queniin." In the evening, wherever it was, a train stood ready for us. The windows of the carriages were curtained, and when we awoke next morning the tram stood in the midst of a wood'.

We know now that the negotiafions took place m the forest of Compiegne, but a week ago we knew nothing. Perhaps it was a measure of precaution, even for our sakes, that we were taken through no town, i'ernaps acts of violence -were feared on the part of the population, for the hatred for us amone them is boundless. The wood was evidently barred by troops to allcomers There were no houses and no tents. On the railway line stood two trains one occupied by Marshal Foch and his people, the other by ours. Hero for three days we lived, worked, and deliberated inis seems to me the modern form of such negotiations. The castles and fortresses of olden time have gone, even for such purposes. The train, with its sleeping, drawing room, and dining cars was very com- ' tortabie, and we were provided with every- " thing we wanted. The officer who had charge of the train had us supplied, and the conduct of the numerous guards who stood around was beyond reproach. But all the hostility and the fulness of hate for our country that seems now to be cherished in France, oanie to expression in the form of the negotiations, as well as in the terrible nature of the conditions. Those' of us who were soldiers wore uniforms and the Iron Cross. The introductiDn to the half -dozen French officers who conducted the negotiations with us "in plenum" and the greetings were of the coldest. Foch, who showed himself only twice—«t the opening and at the end—gave us no word of the particular ' politeness that in'earlier times distinguished the most chivalrous nation in the world, and his officers just as little. Jue recerved ns with the words, "Qu'est ce que vous desirez, messieurs?" and invited us into his business car, furnished with tables and maps. As each was to speak his own language and everything was translated, the reading of the conditions alone occupied nearly two hours. It was moreover a discovery when Foch answered that there were to be no (negotiations, and only dictated matter. Altogetfier, with all bis coldness, he was by no means so tactless and brusque as was General d'Esperey at Belgrade. Then we retired to our tram, which stood on the other line. As we had been sent by the old Government, and had certainly not been _ authorised to sign everything without conditions, we proceeded, at lie instance of Erzberger, to divide, the various points under three heads, military, naval, and diplomatic, and discussed them separately with the members of the enemy commisions, which consisted only of officers. Military Germany thus, •with two civilians, stood face to face with now completely militarised France. The enemy maintained, in the persons of all \ hiis i representatives, the same objective; their coldness was mitigated by no single ! word that bordered upon tho human, as had marked our reception by the Marshal. The English admiral adopted tie tone of tho French, and only from Foch's Chief of the General Staff, who bore the Alsatian name of Weygand, did .we perhaps receive any greater politeness. "During our two days' proceedings there was really no negotiation, _ and we could only try to obtain concessions on variouj conditions. For when the enemy demanded delivery of 160 U-boats we could only point out the technical impossibility, as 'we had not 160 to give. This demand had to be changed into the formula "all U-boats."* The chief point was that of food, and of this we were in a certain measure able to obtain assurance. In the meantime, in this lonely wood, with its two railway .trains, we were cut off from all intercourse with the outside world. Foch himself went off twice to Paris, and couriers were able in two hours to arrive.wfih. the papers. Thus it was possible for the enemy on Sunday, early, to hand us the Paris newspapers with the abdication of the Kaiser. We read no laughter, _ no triumph, in their faces, but wo saw in their hearts that our work was not interrupted. Immediately before the close of the second and last plenary sitting we placed before the enemy in the* German language our protest against the treaty, but in the end we had to sign.

In Dutch Guiana the women carry upon their person all the family savings in the shape of heavy bracelets, anklets, necklaces, and even crowns of gold or silver. A huge porpoise has been washed tm at Maryport. The sea pig is 11 feet long, with an estimated girth of seven feet, the measurement of a good shorthorn bull At a certain camp in the South of England civilian cooks were employed in the officers'_ mess. Many of the cooks were unfamiliar with military customs, and were awed by them. One dark night early in the days of the camp, a fat cook was returning late to bis barracks. As he stole up a company street a guard perceived him and barked out: "Halt! Who's there?" 'Tm tho cook," muttered the newcomer.. Again the guard yelled: "Halt! Who goes there?" 'The other w» puzzled. Ho stopped in his tracks. The gmard yelled loudly the third time: "Halt! Who goes there?" and advanced threateningly with his bayonet at the other. "Mister, what on earth shall I say when you say 'Halt!'" "Say, "Friend,"' said tho guard. "But I ain't no friend; I'm the cook."

A motion condemning the action, of Mr W. G. Riddell, S.M., chairman of tie Hutt Licensing Committee, in giving his casting vote in favour of granting a conditional license to Trentham racecourse oh. race day was passed at a meeting of the Temperance' and Morals Committee of the Methodist Church of New Zealand. It was pointed out that inasmuch as the camp bounds are extended on race days, to include the racecourse, the magistrate's action was a contravention of the law go-verning the expeditionary camps, where no liquor . is allowed. The secretary was directed to send a copy of the resolution to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Defence. NO ONE KNOWS THE WEIGHT OF ANOTHER'S BURDEN. MANY A ONE BROUGHT TO LIGHT. Tou Jcnow if you have a burden to bear. You know where you are taxed to bear it. You know how much trouble iJ gives you. But, do you know how to shake it off? The back bears more burdens than all the human organism, And it objects to tit, too, sometimes emphatically. It aches, it pains, is weak and lame. It's your fault if you don't oome to the rescue. Perhaps you don't know how. We coul<? tell you, but you might doubt ns. We will let this woman do it, then, 'tis easier proved:— Mrs Rogers, 107 Hanover street, Dunedin, says: "During the past sixteen years a statement has appeared in the Dunedin •' papers setting forth that Doan's Backache Kidney Pills had cured me of kidney trouble. That statement is true, and I can now add the important fact that they permanently cured me, for I am still well. They cured _me of pains in the back, headaches, giddiness, dazzling before my eyes, loss of appetite, and debility. I had doctors' advice a number, of times, and took afl sorts of medicines, but it remained for Doan's Backache Kidney Pills to restore me. to good health. Sixteen years is a splendid test of the permanent benefit that is derived from this grand remedy." Doan's Backache Kidney Pills are sold by all chemists and storekeepers at 3s per bottle (six bottles 16s 6d), or will' be posted on receipt of price by Foster-M'Clellaa Company, 76 Pitt street, Sydnoy. . But, be sure you get DOAN'S,