FRANCE CONFIDENT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 1407, 1 June 1916, Page 3

FRANCE CONFIDENT

AUSTRALIAN OBSERVATIONS

Mr P.' "Hunter, Director of the Immigration and Tourist Bureau, who has returned to -Sydney from abroad, says that''- Franco is filled with absolute confidence as to the ' result of the war.

-.When- he landed -at Marseilles early iii January the' Southern French port was busier than he had eyer seen it, German- prisoners were working on the wharves, and the whole town and district Avas working at high pressure. "1 had never seen so many people in the streets' of ':. Marseilles, and everything was very gay and brisk," said Mr Hunter to a representative of the Sydney Morning, Herald. "I left there almost immediately -ifor Paris, and the change to the erstwhile gay capital was very striking. I had never seen Paris so dull ol* empty, but at the same time there was ; nothing in the demeanor of the people* to indicate any lack , of •spirit. While the city was sombre, the -^ heart of the nation 'was confident and determined. '. There was nothing like the depression which was certainly existing in France at the outbreak of the war. It was obvious that this nation of- brilliant' figh tars had ,taken the ineasure of tha ' Ger nan-3, .anjcl wsnk ao onger either scared or doubtful as to the issue. I had the .opportunity of •risi ting France again during the short time , that '..l Was; staying in -England, uid . a. hurried trip .'through some of th6 ..districts in the north, close to the war zone, not only- bore, out .-this view, but confirmed 'the impression L had previously made when.-' travelling in the same ireasin October, 1914, that: the French people are indomitab '.«,/ and will let liothi'ng whatever sliake their purpose in this war. This lias since been abundantly proved by the calm spirit of ! heroism, in which they acceptted the I tremendous onslaught of the Germans it Verdun,- -and:-.- the wonderful manner in which, their armies there inflicted ■the greatest cheek not even excluding the Marue, which' the Germans have' yet received in the war..

"Oh arrival in \Lbhdon I (found that conditions there more nearly approximated those at Marseilles than of Paris. The city was brisk and even gay, and there was very little, evidence .indeed of the fact that one was within four hours of the scejie of the greatest war in history. It is 'true that London is plunged in darkness at night, and this it true of moit of the big cities inEngland on account of the Zeppelins which Germany sends over at Ifrequent intervals, tbut it is quite sale to say that these Zeppo'rns do not in any way disturb the spirit of the people. They are taken quite as a matter of course ; and while the damage they do in certain scattered localities is very great, they have entirely and completely failed in their main object of lowering the tone of tho civilian population. Apart from what may be, called the Zeppelin darkness, there- is ..nothing in London to indicate that the nation is in a state of war, and one must travel to the various districts where huge divisions of armies ue encamped in preparatory training, and to the distrcts Avhere munitions ivc being mnniK'actured, to get an idea if th? j manner in wh ; eh the nation has thrown itself body and sou 1 into the war. It'is gratifying to be able to say that all tbe best-informed opinion in England 1 now is that the situation is ent rely satisfactory, and the fact that the Germans have received what is equivalent to a crushing defeat at Verdun makes stiil further grounds for a i heerKul optimism regarding tlie outcome of tho, war."