INTERNED GERMANS

Otago Witness, Issue 3380, 25 December 1918, Page 22

INTERNED GERMANS

REMOVED FROM MOTUIHI. NEW CAMP AT NARROW NECK. (From Our Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, December 17. The transference of German prisoners from Motuihi Isfcind to Narrow Neck Camp at Devonport, as might be expected, was not devoid of incident. No public announcement of the proposed transfer had been made, and the arrival at the wharf near the North Head of the defence steamer LadyRoberts, with the prisoners on board, came to most people as a surprise. About half an hour later the ex-Governor of Samoa (Dr Schultz), with two other Germans, left in a motor car for the new camp. The exGovernor was dressed in drill khaki, and wore a sun helmet. He took no notice of his surroundings, but sat back in his seali reading a newspaper. His demeanour suggested an assumption of vice-regal state, and if ho felt any chagrin over his position his nonchalant air completely concealed the fact. At one spot a few hoots were heardas the ex-Governor's car sped by'; otherwise there was no demonstration. A small party of prisoners had already been sent to the camp as- an advance baggage party; the main body v/ere marched from the wharf to the camp under a guard commanded by a non-commissioned officer. The prisoners," though of varying physique and dress,looked a remarkably healthy and well-fed lot of " men. A few of the party in the; procession, which numbered about 80, marched in serious silence; but others the highest spirit. Thp.y talked loudly in their own tongue, and gave vent to the heartiest laughter; but for the presence of the guards, who marched on either side of the motley procession r with bayonets fixed, the Germans might have been a party of picknickers who were very satisfied with their outing. The smallest things seemed to amuse them. The mirth they displayed when a very interested little girl on the footpath, whose eyes were on the procession, collided violently with a man standing ahead of her would have satisfied a professional comedian. One of the Germans smiled broadly at a young woman on the footpath, but the signs by which she expressed her hostility were not flattering to the German. At the head of the party marched Count von Luckner. He was smartly attired in a walking suit of fashionable j?rey, with a, cap of the same material. He took no part in the' laughter and joking. An athletic figure, he walked with set expression and dignified bearing. When a photographer was talcing a " snap," yon Luckner raised the coat he ■ had on his arm in front of his face, but in nothing else did he take any notice of those on tho street. What struck residents of the locality 'most in connection with the transference was the amazing quantity of and chattels' which companied the prisoners. Several, Defence Department wagons were engaged throughout the day conveying these effects from the wharf to the camp. *At *he "•' "' J ''e luggage was loaded on the wagons by prisoners, but at the camp theclutv making it off the wagons fell to" Native soldiers. The Gilbert Islanders who were employed in unloading the wagons did not appear to relish the job, and such notices as " Glass, with care," on cases did not inspire ■ gentleness in handling it. The luggage was left in tho drill square, to be conveyed to the huts by the owners. The hut formerly used by the Y.M.C.A. has been set aside, Jt is understood, as the abode of the ex-Governor of Samoa. Early in the day, it is reported, it was suggested to certain noncommissioned officers in camp that they might try to get a party of Native soldiers to prepare this hut for its occupant, but a cablegram telling of the mutilation of a British prisoner in Germany was regarded as sufficient reason for no effort being made in the direction indicated. Residents of Devonport naturally are up in arms against the prisoners being placed pi\actically at their door, and the local Borough Council, which discussed the sub-., jeet this evening, is making a strong pro-* test to the Government, against the retention of prisoners in an important residential neighbourhood. The Herald, in a reference to the matter, says it is difficult to see why Narrow Neck was selected, unless on the ground that it would be harsh to deprive tHe Germans of the charming outlook to which, they have been accustomed for. the past four years. Some 300 Germans are already located in Featherston Camp, and there is ample room there for the 100 odd prisoners from Motuihi. Since the advantages of island camps are lost, economy should have suggested concentration in on© central camp, with one initial outlay on necessary enclosures ■ and one guard.