SWELLING THE NUMBERS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2356, 12 January 1915, Page 5

SWELLING THE NUMBERS

According to a Swiss who has returned to Basel after a long visit to Aix-la-Chapelle, on the Belgian frontier of I Germany, an ingenious method of mag« nifying tho number of prisoners captured has been adopted by the Germans."The German Government daily reports the annihilation of regiment after rcgimont of the enemy, and in order to give' colour to its statements it has to produce formidable convoys of French, British, and Belgium prisoners," hei writes. "Aix-la-Chapello is the spectacular spot chosen. It is .the busiest railway station in the German Empire just now. Tho German General Staff sends long train loads of prisoners through this junction going east every; day. It is all very impressive. Thei' German newspaper correspondents in--' dustriously record the passages of these train loads of prisoners in their dispatohes to Berlin, and thoy don't for-, get to refer to the downcast demeanour' of the captives, and the cheers of the German populace. The crowds are unaware that these trains are switched on to a loop lino at night, and the next day aro again sent through Aix-la-Chappcle. One morning as a Dutch-, man was watching a train load of pris- 1 oners going slowly past ho saw a Bel-' gian soldier excitedly gesticulating at a carriage window. Ho was trying to explain that they were old prisoners.'This is the twelfth time wo have been through this station,' ha shouted."-

Tho negroes of tho West Indies are said to be taking an intelligent interest in the war —after their own The following story is current among them:—When war was declared between England and Germany tho Kaiser sent a bag of rice to King George with the accompanying message:—"As many grains of rice as thoro are in. this bag I do-possess soldiers." King George accepted the gift, according to our negro historians, aud in return sent tho Kaiser a bottle of rod poppers, adding: "As few peppers as there aro in this bottle so do I possess soldiers. But hite one of them and see how it burns!" Thoir account of the commencement of hostilities has a quaint touch, though it is hardly .likely, to be accepted by;