IN THE RHINELAND

Otago Witness, Issue 3397, 23 April 1919, Page 38

IN THE RHINELAND

THE GERMAN MENTALITY,

A New Zealand officer stationed on the Rhine, writes, inter alia, in a letter dated February 14-: . "Our slay here has been a very interesting one, and I have been very lucky in getting special opportunities of seeing aroucd. I managed to " wangle" a trip up the Rhine as far as Mainz, a few weeks ago, and from there I went out to Wiesbaden, the famous German health resort. It was a short trip, but I saw a [rood deal of the country, and I also saw all worth seeinc of the Rhine scenery. More recently I have been on two long distance reconnaissances by car out to our outpost systems —a distance varying from 20 to 25 miles in from the Rhine—so in one way and another I have seen a fair amount of Rhineland. Although they are short of many things here the Huns are anything but ' down and out.' They have none of that starved look about them that one sees everywhere in Northern France and Belgium, and they are also quite well dressed, though prices of boots and articles of clothing are extremely high. Also, whereas the factories throughout France and Belgium have " been either stripped bare of machinery or destroyed by the Huns, one sees here all the inrnseose factories all working full time —they have been converted _ to peace time manufacturing, and are without exception piling up is-mense quantities of stuff for export sc soon as the embargo is lifted. I have spoken to many Huns—an astonishing nurabor of them _ speak English —and none of them anticipate any serious restrictions in trading with the British Empire after the signing of poa-ce. They are certainly possessed of a curious mentality. When I tell them that we shall have nothing to do with them for many years after the war, some of them get furious ; and ask why, and others just shrug their shouldera and ar/iile a knowing smile. The more I eee of them as a people the more I loathe them, they are swine, and that is praising them. As for being penitent for the atrocities they committed in the war,, they don't know what the word means —much les3 feel it. You will gather from the foregoing that I don't love them, neither does anyone else who has come into contact with them during the war or since. Of coure© there are exceptions, but I am speaking of them as a people. Hun travellers need never come near mo after this with their wares. "I have seen several operas played here. Cologne has a magnificent Opera House—almost as fine a building as the Opera House in Paris, and they stage everything beautifully. One must admit that these people can both sing and play musio most beautifully. Influenza is increasing here again, both amongst the civilians troops. It is to be hoped that there is

not going to be another world-wide epidemic."