“FRATERNISATION” AT COLOGNE

Taihape Daily Times, 3 May 1919, Page 6

“FRATERNISATION” AT COLOGNE

GERMAN STRIKE COMEDY

COLOGNE, Feb. 20

While the Young Guard and the Old Guard, including the Guards, Scottish. New-Zealand, and many English troops, live peacefully ni Cologne, and the neighbouring terms, looking into the very gorgeous shops, windows, photographing the Hohenzollcm Bridge, or standing in long queues before their canteens, the Belgians, who arc across the Rhine for the first time in the full official sense, arc holding the balance in the strangest mixture cf civil and military strife that ever was seen.

Not so far off the smoke of the Krupp works, still turning out bits of submarine and camion, it is said, made a pall over this social muddle which extends in its most aggravated form from

Essen to the vast Rhine docks at Duisburg. The alf air directly concerns us, because cur most excellent Commission for directing the traffic on the Rhine has a headquarters in Duisburg, and the whole comedy is visible from the office window.

To-day the strike leaders officially circle red the men to strike in a body, and almost exactly half* disobeyed, each with intense fury in his heart against the other. The two parties glared, the tail of the eye caught a glimpse of the B’elgian machine guns placed cunningly in windows to command obedience to law am] order. As certain democrats in the old days in England used to say, "Thank God for the House of Lords!” so the Germans, as I have hoard myself, say, "Thank God for the Allied troops!” In all the British quarter peace prevails: the only real cause of trouble, and that is of a minor kind, is the obvious and universal friendliness' —an inadequate word that must sex e. for want of a. better —of the German women towards the Allied soldiers. It originates, perhaps, as much in a heap of soap or chocolate ?s in any other feeling, but it appears to have been decided that this sort of 'friendliness is as dangerous as any other, and the tendency is towards greater .strictness.

Fraternisation is a blessed word much discussed, and some definitions ar 0 needed. To quote one problem: "Is It fraternisation within the meaning of the Act to learn German from a German tutor or tutoress?”

"Defer no time —delays have dangerous ends.” —Shakespeare.

This man realised that. Thus he writes to Mr. Baxter: "Enclosed find 12/ for some Lung Preserver. The local store has no more. I have tried a good many remedies but got more relief from yours with one small bottle. —Mathew Talboy, Elsthorpe, Howke’s Bay.’ ’ All the year round Baxter’s Lung Preserver is a friend —but more especially now when the weather is so changeable. Have Baxter’s handy. Big hottle 2/6 3