A LADY'S EXPERIENCED

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 288, 29 June 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

A LADY'S EXPERIENCED

In letters from London, dated from March 17 to 2-3, a young lady wellknown in Wanganui. and an "old KJrl" of the Wanganui Girls' College, writes to her sister in Wanganui giving an interesting description of her experiences in getting out of Germany, in which country she had ben resident for over two years. She says :

"At last I am in dear old London, and can write exactly what I like to you without feeling that the German Censor, or the Police Office, or the girls at the Post Office, will cut out or criticise what I write. It has been a long, long wait, and it is not at an end yet, for the New Zealand High Commissioner does not advise me to set out for N.Z. yet. They say that ladies are not allowed to travel at sea. I am afraid, from what I have seen, that there is little hope of peace for another year, but one always hopes it may turn'out better than one expects. In Germany they say that as far as food h concerned they can hold out for another year or two. That may be true. At th.fi present time they have only just enough to keep them alive, so if the harvest is not good this year they will be pretty badly off. In Berlin the

SUFFERINGS ARE TERRIBLE, they say. Can you imagine people standing in the snow and rain for two. three, or four hours for 2d. worth of sweets or cheap biscuits? Not that they cannot do without lollies, but because there is nothing to buy, and they are hungrv. Where 1 was the people are better off. but although they are not sufferng from hunger, they have not enough to nourish them properly. I have often stood outside a shop for two or three hours for half-a-pound or meat, and have often gone away without it. We had on an average JLB. OF MEAT A FORTNIGHT per person, sometimes more and sometimes less. Conditions have become very much worse during the last six months. When I applied to leave, about nine months ago, one could buy almost anything, in moderate quantities, of course. WHAT A DIFFERENCE IS IN LONDON! The shops are full of everything one can possibly wish to buy. In Germany lomo imagine that London is on the verge of starvation. This is just a bare outline of how things are on the other side, so that you may know that the papers are not exaggerating. To go back to the subject of my journey. I though I SHOULD NEVER GET AWAY. You people on that side thought one had onlv to step on to a train and be whirled out of the country, but I asKuro you that it was by no means so simple. My being in such a tiny villa?." made it more difficult for me to leave, for the police there had no idea of managing foreigners' affairs. At the same time, as long as 1 kept quiet I was not so strictly watched. I had no idea of what was happening here in England, otherwi.se I should have attempted to leave much earlier. I always heard that the boats were not running, or that half of them were sunk, etc. At the same time, Cousin must have heard sonv» very exaggerated accounts of German life. Germans may be savage in war, but in their homo l-'o they are MOST GOOD-NATURED AND KIND, end devoted to their wives and children The people of Schlesien are lighthearted, without being frivolous like those of tho south, and are not nearly so severe as the Prussians. Everyone in Carlsruhe was very kind to me; ftill I often longed to be back in my home. I wrote at Xmas time, 1015, that I was coming, did T not; but when I went to the police station they paid I must produce papers to say that it was absolutely necessary for me to return. No doubt did her best to keen me. She wept when I left, and made me promise to return to her if I had any difficulty on the frontier. She was quite sure that T would not be allowed to cross. 1 left C. on Saturday at half-past one, and I onlv received the permission to leave at 12 o'clock—only an hour and a half to prepare and say good-bye to everyone. I don't want fo live my last two days in C. again. In spite of shortness of bread, etc., EVERYONE H \r» SOMETHING FOR ME. I had a journey of two and a half days to the frontier, and it is impossible to obtain much food on the way. One gave me. a whole loaf, another 50 grammes of butter, another Jib. of sausage, another gingerbread biscuits, so I did not want. I travelled with hundreds of soldiers on their way to France. Manv of them are

THOROUGH LY TIRED OF THE WAR At Oppelin T had to go to the office to receive my passport, etc. I spent about four hours on the station waiting for my train, anil finally reached Breslau n.-ar midn'ght. I found a hoarding-lioil-c for the irgbt. then next day began a (hasp from on," police station to another, to the Genera! Commando. t> the Consul, ptc. The Dutch Coikiil was verv kind. He gave me 1(30 marks lor the journey, r.s I i;ad not enough money: traveling is so much dearer. He spake verv seriously with me and a-ked me if T were quite Mire I was right in leaving. He said T was leaving a home and gong out into unevrtain'y, that the lonrney was decidedlv dangerous, and I was not to attempt to cross over 1o England, as the risk was too I'pvt. but was to look for work ; n Amsterdam. Then f had to take mv looks to tke Military Control Officer, who sa : d lie could not examine them until Monlav. So T had to wait in lire-hiu until Monday, ar.d in?n only managed to catch mv train at the list minute. A young officer who examined mv hooks wis evfp-diiigly kind, airl got th in through in DOUBLE QUICK TIME, otherwise T should have been there now. Was I not lucky to have trot all in" burgage, books, etc.. over with ii"-. No doubt thp Oenrral Comman fo got tired of my com 'lined applications and thought they bad In tter let me uo, luggage and all, in order to have peace. I ABBTYED AT BERLIN at 5 o'clock in t!io evening, but T was

CONDITIONS IN GERMANY AND HOLLAND. PROOF OF THE FOOD SHORTAGE.

unable to sec anything of the city, as I had to see after my luggage and have it re-addressed to Benthoim. and set my ticket. Altogether it took inc two lours to sec about it. Then I went for a rido on the city train. There are no longer motor 'buses in Berlin. They have all been sent to the war, and tbo Berlinors have to ride in the old horse omnibuses. There are very few taxis. At 0 o'clock I was once more in the train, and glad to be warm again, for it was bitterly cold outside. I tried to sleep, but it was impossible, for the train was packed. At 2 o'clock we arrived at Mindcn, where I had to get out and wait two hours. I managed to get a cup of coffee, without sugar 0 rmilk—not real coffee, but a substitute, 'burnt corn. At another small town I had another wait of two hours, and at Osnabruck and Rheine another wait, each two hours long. The former is quite a pretty little town. At 5 oclock in the afternoon all my luggage had been examined by the military con. tiol officer at Bentheim. They took everything out of my boxes, and then 1 had to tumble everything in again as quickly as possible.

T HAD NO DIFFICULTY ABOUT ANYTHING. ' One or two photos I had with me wer.? I allowed to pass, though other people j had to give theirs up. I was glad when it was all over and I was on the train for Amsterdam, as I thought. I Now begins the most wonderful part j of my story. I had heard that it would i be impossible for me to cross over to j London, so was determined to look for I a position in Amsterdam. At tho fir.,t Dutch town we all had to alight to have our baggage examined by the Customs. While waiting in the room, someone said to me, in English: "ARE YOU ENGLISH? "Plcaes wait here, and I will s/x> to : your luggage/' I thought it very kind of the gentleman, and noticed at the l same time that he was wearing the Red ! Cross badge, and was talking to cth.er I people in English. He helped me with my luggage, for he spoke Dutch, and I did not have to open any of my boxes. H.-> also saw me provided with coffee and scones. As I had no boarding-house I in Amsterdam to go to. I asked him ] if ho could recommend one, to which j he answered that I had better go to i Rotterdam that night, and we could ' see the next morning what was !>est to I b« done. He was in charge of a party , who were being assisted out of Germany . by tho Red Cross Society. He very kindly had my ticket changed for Rotterdam, and between 10 and 11 o'clock we all found ourselves in a quiet and I very comfortable hotel in that city. Many of the party could not speak English. They were GERMANS WHO HAD MARRIED ENGLISHMEN. Their husbands are all interned in Germany. The next day Mr Jorman and Miss Barber, the leaders of the party, advised mo to remain with the I party and cross over to London with i them. They could not say when a boat j would leave, but the Consul was doing his best to provide a safe passage for I all. The Dutch Consul at Breslau j had, as T have ment : oned. advised me I not to think of leaving Holland, as j the crossing was far too risky. Howover, I | DECIDED TO RISK IT. j We were five days in Rotterdam, oe- , cupied in having our photos taken for passports, interviewing the Consul, and ! the doctor, and visiting the town. The j doctor, who examined me thoroughly, said I was fairly well, but advised that I should visit a doctor after I had been a month in England, and should eat ; meat, butter and cream, as the system had suffered for want of these things. The town of Rotterdam is not particu- ! hirlv beautiful, and there are not many features of great interest. It was in- . teresting to see the number of large boats lying at the wharves. At the same hotel were two sisters who were ' waiting for a boat to America. They , had been there for some time. Their ! ship had set out once, but was recalled ; owing to th,? danger from min°s and submar:ne«. Each day we thought we | should be able to leave, but it was Sunj day before Mr. .Toeman came and told I us to be prepared to leave at 4 o'clock. We wera taken to the station, and had a journey about about an hour to the Hook, we learnt afterwards; but we were not told then where we were going. We went on board immediately, but did not sail until 5 o'clock n, n xt morning. We all had to be up early j and remain ou deck, although it was j raining heavilv. Can you imagine fortv passenger-—26 British women and children, and over 20 Dutchmen and Bclj gians—all WEARING TJFEBELTS AND WALKI ING THE WET DECKS?

Thp i.'fl was very calm, so we look/Ml ill! the more ridiculous in our life-belt-. Wo lwd to wear them and remain on dock in ease of meeting n mine or being torpedoed. Throj vessels left the port with us. bur, we soon lost sight of them. Until mid-dnv we did not fee a sign of a boat. Then n ship appeared on the horizon. All eyes were fixed en her. Would she be friend or foe? Slip turned out to he a British cruiser which had come to escort us. Soon afterwards we saw plenty e,f boats, especially mine-sweepers, and we also saw mines. They looked exactly like brown baskets, or buoys. We saw one exploded. This journey usually takes about seven or .e'ght bonis, but at sundown we were just in sight of '.and. and there v.o haVl to anchor for th •> night, for we were in a minefield, and could not go further in tee dark. Next morning we put out to s.«a again, and went back' on our coursp some five or seven sea miles, to g?t out of thp minefield. It was a beautiful day, but we still had to par.idp up and down in our life-licit'. About 5 o'clock we sailed into Gravsend. where we were nipt by the men in khaki and a crowd of Rod Cross men. Our luggage was examined, and we were examined, quest ions galore were asked, and finally, at about 10 o'clock, we arrive,] in London, much surprised to find limb's everywhere and the traffic much the samp as usual. We had heard that nan- of London wer,> in runs, that London was starving, etc.