THROUGH GERMAN GLASSES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 231, 9 March 1915, Page 2

THROUGH GERMAN GLASSES.

PRI'SSUAXS CIUDED FOR EATIXU TOO MUCH. 'The Laodicean attitude of the German people, tiieir lack of war enthusiasm, and their love of ease inspire, ti.e. JJeutsclie TagcszeiV.ung to an appeal to their their better nature which is almost despairing in its tone: "Our forces on land and water may well expect victory; tliey have proved their thoroughness, their tenacity, and their courage. But to attain victory does liot only depend on the behaviour of those who light in the iitJld, but also on the need of those at home doing their duty. "The nation lia s been self-sacrific-ing but what has been accomplished is as nothing compared with what must still be done to win us victory. It.a), most seems that we do not fully realise the necessity of further, bigger, and heavier sacrifices.. "We are living too easily, too lightheartedly, as if war were a daily occurrence. The .regulations considered necessary to maintain the feeding of 'the< poople> are. being generally disregarded. We are not altering our way of living; • our many exhortations to economy and reasonable housekeeping often fall on deaf ears. "The ; swelling wave of tile original, enthusiasm appears to be ebbing to-the-depths of everyday existence. The seriousness of individual reflection' which found expression in the first iveeks of the war has in ntanv cases given way to hallow superficiality."' This lackadaisical demeanour of the people must be extremely galling in view of'the great achievements of the Kaiser's hosts. They have shot down women and children by hundreds, kill, ed \lefcncolcss peasants out of'sheer joy of killing, have bombarded cathedrals and laid' ancient churches in ruins, have even arrested a cardinal archbishop. What' more do the German people want to arouse their enthusiasm?-

"WAR CEREALS, LIMITED." That the situation in Germany with regard to food supplies is giowmg critiC«l way be judged from the fact that a State-supervised company, "War Cereals, Ltd-," lias been formed in Berlin,, with power to seize private stores, of grain. The Lpkal Anzioger-says-i-r—.. "Its object is to .acquire as ;nmcu grain as possible, even if necessary by the seizing of private property, and retain it for the late months preceding the new crop. The company works co-oper-eratively, dividends are limited to live per- cent., and on dissolution sliare- [ holders only receive war v alue for theirholdings, any surplus going to the State for communal purpose*. 1 "We mjiy, therefore, rest assured that the feeding of the population nas been secured till the next crop, but only on the presupposition that the necessity of exercising the* most rigid economy will' he recognised by the. whole. German r tion, and that the use of 'bread will be limited to immediate requirements. "With a careful distribution of our. supplies can hold out longer than our enemies without distress of . any kind, hut it cannot be asserted too often nor too seriously that a stop msut be 'put to any possible Kind of' extravagance and waste."

BEWARE OF JOLLY OLD MEN. That fear of" spies which has taken . so frantic a form "in Belgium seems to. i have spread to Berlin, if ,\'e may trust , the Hamburger Nacliricllten:— "We do not wisli to imitate the ling, lisli, 'spionitis' any more- than we feel inclined to copy other traits of this unpleasant nation. Yet in our anxiety to avoid .everything connected with English way of living we must take care not to fall into the oppositc s extremes. "We do not|know the fear of spies; fear of any kind finds no place in our veins. But, for ail that, we must not blind ourselves to the fact that spies surround us. "A Berlin lady tells how jolly, elderlv men speak to young ladies about their friends and relations in the field. In one particular instance she noticed an elderly man who, though ,poorlydressed, had gold filligs in some of his teeth. He understood his business so well that he elicited the contents of the letter received by a young lady be had accosted from her brother at the front. "Who knows whether the report from this shabby man with the gold teeth has not gone east or west into the en. emies' eamp, or whether the- young' lady's brother has nolj in the meantime been laid low by the enemy's fire—a fate which his ; " own sister had pre. pared for him?" BRITISH CUNNING OUTWITTED., A pretty story of England's "abortiveefforts • to obtain rifles' from America is told in the Magdeburgcr Zcitung:— "England needs rifles badly. TileAmerican Government possesses hundreds of thousands of good shooting irons captured in the Spanish-Ameri-can \\ ar. How can England obtain them ? "John Bull suggested to a New York firm of great repute which has an important branch in the .Antipodes that this branch should purchase the rifles from the U.S.A. authorities, and ship them. On the way an English nian-o'. 1 war would capture the consignment as contraband. "It was an ingenious scheme, as the question of neutrality would hardly be aflected by this action. But thqugh the profit on each rifle had been fixed at lSdol, the firm which had been thus approached refused the deal, not on account of any fear of infringing the rules of neutrality, but simply because it did not wish to help England against Gfrmany! "Of course, in the end England 'will J find a firm who will undertake the busi- j ness, but it will be seen that Germany 1 has good friends in the States who are j not to be bought by English money." j