A VAGRANT GERMAN.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 May 1916, Page 7

A VAGRANT GERMAN.

BROTHER OF HERR BALLET. UNABLE TO MAKE LIVING, . One of the sad side-lights of the war was revealed at Whangarei, when Maximilian Ballin was committed to prison for throe months in the Mount Eden gaol. He is a brother of Horr Ballin, the great German shipping magnate, and head of the Hamburg-Amerika line. Maximilian Ballin has been in the colonies for many years. He was apparently an educated man, and was in receipt of remittances from his brother. He followed a quiet occupation and kept tradesmen's books, and to all appearances was harmless. At all events, bo exception was taken to his presence in the town. After the outbreak of the war Ballin's remittance money was apparently stopped, and, being a foreigner, he could not get the class of work he vas capable of doing. Ballin gradually drifted, and some time ago had to go to the hospital. After his discharge lie came back into his old circle in the town, but he could get no work to do. Eventually, after hanging about for some considerable time, he went to the police station and asked to be arrested, lie was put in the cells, and was charged with vagrancy. Mr. Chassel, J.P., and Mr. Eccles, J.P., sentenced him ,to three months' imprisonment, saying that it was not punishment for a criminal action, but the best way to disposo of Ballin, who was practically helpless to look after himself in the community. There is no specially unkind feeling towards Ballin, but, as the brother of a personal friend of the Kaiser, feeling naturally operates against him at the present time. It is generally thought that hfs proper place should be with the interned men. Apart from his failing powers, his enemy nationality helped to Ihinder him from making a,living.