Ten' Months in Germany.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 249, 9 February 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

Ten' Months in Germany.

Mr. Curt'.'i gives in tho "Times' some illuminating infoiination about t.'.e methods by wiiich the German Government maintains complete control of tho people. In particular he explains tho increased powers of the police and gives some instances of tho working of the abuse known as "preventive arrest."

rriHOSE who arc watching tho hidden war in Germany through the fragments that come from Holland can gait go with fair accuracy the growing effect of tho German casualty lists and the All : ed blockade. The English new*, papers announced on Monday last the closing down of the national safety valve—the debating society known as the Reichstag, which has been*squelched until February 13. Tho Germaa Government now therefore, has complete control of: — (1) Speech, (2) The Press, (3) The professors and pastors, (4) Every kind of public meeting, (o) Cinematographs and photographs—all of which are, in effect, under tho control! of the police, manipulated by the Government. As the German Parliament in no way resembles England's Parliament, so do tiio German palicc in no way resemble the British police. The German police, mounted or unmounted, are armed with revolver, sword, and machine-gun, with powers of search and arrest without variant. They are allowed in their dis(nticn to strike or otherwise maltreat not only civilians but soldiers. Always P'ovided with great powers, their position during the past few months has ii«en to such an extent that the words mod in tho Reichstag, "The Reign of Terror," are not an exaggeration. Aided and even abetted by a myriad ot spies and agents provocateur, they have under what is known as "preventive arrest" throughout the German Empire and Austria so great a~number of civi.ians that the German prisons, as has been admitted, are filled to repletion. Now that the Reichstag has been closed down it will lie increasingly diffi- < ult to find out what is gouig on in Germany, for though the Reichstag had no powers, it did give an indication of tho great undercurrent of unrest, which applies, as I have said before, to at least one-third oi' The people. To a certain extent the press was a little unmuzzled during the sittings of the Reichstag —not much, but somewhat, for the reports of Reichstag proceeding-! arc strictly censored. Your Parliament, I understand, is supreme, and the Press But can has no control of its reports. The German Press Bureau, on tho other hand, revises and even suppresses the publication of speeches. When necessary, it specially transmits speeches by telegram and wireless to foreign countries if it thinks those speeches will help German propaganda. CONTROL OF THE PRESS. Control of speech is accompanied »>> control oi" the Press, accomplished as follows Tho Berlin and provincial editors arc summoned from time to time to meeting'. They are addressed by members of the Government as to what it is wise for them to say and not to say. _ Ihe*o meetings constitute a hint that if they aro indiscreet, if they, foi example, publish matter "calculated to promote disunity," they may be subject to tlnj increasingly severe penalties now administered.' If a newspaper shows a tendency to kick over the traces a Government emis-arv waits upon the editor, calls his attention to any offending article or paragraph, and suggests a correction . If the newspaper still offends it. is liable to suspension for a day or a week. One or two insignificant newspapers have liacii suppressed altogether, and the high price of paper _ is, in addition, automatically causing the stoppage of many. With the Reichstag shut up. and the hold on the newspapers tightening, what opportunity remains by which independent thought can be disseminated '■ „ , ~ Clubs are illegal in Germany, and the humblest work ng men's cafes are attended bv spies. In my researches nt tho Berlin East-end I often visited these places and shared my adulterated jeer and war bread with the work ng folk—all oi them over or under military ngo. AN INSTANCE OF SP\TNG. Ono evening a shabby old man said latner more loudly than was necessarj

to a number of those round him: —"I am tired of reading in the newspapers how nice the war ii. Even the \ orwaerts (.then a Socialist paper) les to us. lam tired of walking home night after night and finding restaurants turned into hospitals for the wounded." He was referring in particular to the great, Schultheiss working men's restaurants in Haseiihcide. His remarks were received with obvous sympathy. A couple of nights later I went into this same place and took my seat, but it was obvious that my vi-it was unwelcome. 1 did not think very much of the incident, but I') days Inter in passing I called aagin, when a lusty young lei low of 18. "to whom L had spoken on j my first visit, came forward and i;aid to me, almost threateningly, "You are u stranger here. May I ask what you aro doing?" I said: —"1 am an American newspaper correspondent, and am trying to find cut what 1 can about the ways of German working folk." He conl dtell by my accent that I wis a foreigner, and said: —" OTe0 T e thought that you had told the. Government about that little free speaking we had here a few days ago. You know that tho little old man who was complaining about the restaurants being turned into hospitals has been arrested." This form of arrest, by which hundreds pf people are mysteriously disappearing, is one of the burning grievances of Germany to-day. In its application it resembles what we used to read about Russian police. It has created a condition beneath the surface jn Germany resembling the terrorism of the j rench Revolution. In the absence of a Habeas Corpus Act, the victim lies in gaol indefinitely, while the police are, nominally, collecting the evidence against him. One cannot move about very long without coming across instances of this growing form of tyranny, but 1 will merely give one otfier. A German family, restart in Sweden, wero in correspondence with a woman resident in Prussia. Tn one of her letters she incautiously remarked, ''What a pity that the two Emperors cannot be taught what war really means to tho German peoples." She had lost two sons, and her expression of bitterness was just a fominine outburst, which in any other country would have been passed by. Sho was subject to preventive arrest, and is still in gaol. Tho pol ; co are armed with the censorship of the internal postp.il correspondence. telegrams, and telephones. One of tho complaints f>7 the Social Democrat members of the Reichstag 's that every movement is spied upon, and their communications tampered with by v hat they call tTie " Black Chamber. By cilosing down the Reichstag for the next anxious three months, when, n tho absence of a Roumanian succctis, the food shortage must get even worse than it is to-day, the Government bel'eve that they have suppressed all manifestation of public opinion for a period during which they hope l'<v submarines, Zeppelins, military operations, and foreign intrigue, either to trghten Great Britain into peace or to detach one of tho Allies. Whether those at the top rea l? •>■■- liovc that tliev can succeed I have no idea. By this time they must liavei been woefully disappointed at the result of their submarine expedition to NewYork, wiroh has apparently had no effect whatever in the United States. Designed to frighten President W dson mtrfa stoppage of munitions to the Allies, it seems to have caused but little excitement in my country.

[ have been too often to the war to prophesy. I have read too much oi Prussian history to believe in the sudden collapse theory, but, through the Dutch and other neutral Press, I watcn with increased interest and keenness the offect of the coining winter on the alleadv gloomv spirits of tho German peoples. Me tnwiuie f warn the Allied Governments that from inform at.o that has reached me since I have bc.n i„ Kng'nnd, they will find more unci more difficulty in getting news out ». Germany.