IN GERMANY.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 30 December 1916, Page 6

IN GERMANY.

INTERNED NEW ZEALANDER'S IMPRESSIONS. A former resident of Wanganui, Mr. Charles J. King, who has been a prisoner in Germany since war broke out, having-been interned on the morning that England declared war, is now back in England. In a letter, to a friend he states: — "The feeling against us was verystrong, and the hatred against us was, and still is, tremendous. They arc the worst people on earth, and it is hard for one who has lived with them to realise how they feel towards us, and what they would be capable of doing with us. If ever they came on top I can assure you they wouldn't stop at anything short of annihilation of the British nation. They will tell you this quite openly, and there is no doubt • whatever that they mean to do it if they can. Racing was booming in Germany; and would haye been better still Only for the war. Stakes were very good, and all jockeys were getting big retainers. Out of a dozen horsemen that I knew, not one was getting less than £2OOO a year, and with two or. three years' engagement at that. In addition there were, of course, riding fees and percentages, but the war upset all this, and a s soon as it broke oat the Germans tore up all their contracts, and in most cases would not even pay m en what they had already earned. There was a surprising number of Aus- ■ tralian and New 'Zealand men in the prison camp, considering how far away we live. There were about (50 Australians and 12 New Zealanders,, most of the latter being men who had left New Zealand years ago, and one or two who had to study music, etc. The Australians were mostly students."