LOOTING LIMITS

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5329, 15 February 1947, Page 4

LOOTING LIMITS

■^CCORDING to King's Regu- ' lations, looting in the Army ' is a very grave .offence; it may even be a shooting matter, but the United States f orces manage this question of meurn and tuum with a delicately-balanced discretion. Apjwently, the Generals and the Ga.'s of the fighting arid occupation troops took a copsiderable amount of trouble and transport in collecting souvenirs in Uncle Sam's time. Nothing.so small or valueless as enemy shellcaps, small-arms or headgear, inconsiderable coins or time-pieces from prisoners, which the Tommy or Kiwi was wont to acquire, not for their intrinsic value, but as evidence of having "been there." 4 The ! i Americans went about their j souveniring in a big way, from , the Hesse Crown jewels (but ! this was definitely a bad show) down. j It is now stated in a cable 1 message that the United States authorities have set a limit to .. the value of what constitutes 1 legitimate loot, and in fixing it at under £1250, they have' by inference expressed a becoming modesty on the acquisitive attributes of the average American, soldier or civilian. It is said the order will bring into question ; the retention of a set of Hohen- : zollern silver plate, valued at £200,000, which now adorns the mess of the 175th Regiment at Baltimore. The question arises whether every member of the regiment will be given a 5000dollar allocation, which lvould tlien easily cover the value of the set, or whether the regiment will be regarded as a unit, in which case the Kaiserplaten will have to be forfeited to the Admin-istration. The opinion is ventured that the plate will remain in possession of. the regiment. ' ,