RELEASED ENGLISHWOMEN.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1917, Page 7

RELEASED ENGLISHWOMEN.

ARRIVAL Al GfiAVESEND. Several Englishwomen, who arrived here from Germany, were restrained in the conversations relative to those left behind, for reasons which will be well understood writes the Gvavesentl correspondent of the London Telegraph early in November). There was no one from Huhleben on board, and it was stated by passengers that it was officially announced that 2.: were to cross on the fitli inst. Only two had reached Flushing, and what had happened to the other 23 was a mystery "I have known," said one of the passengers, "that men interned at Ruhleben have experienced all the joy. of liberation, have got to the 'railway station, with the little of their property left to them, and have then been taker, lack to the camp." There were 17 women and children from various, parts of Germany, and 59 French women and children from the occupied portions of France and Belgium. None of those questioned were able to I Account fey the growing desire of the Germans to get rid of all the French territory. Among those who arrived women and children from the occupied was a colonial lady and her daughter, the latter having gone <,•; Leipzig to study singing. Whether from France. Belgium, or Germany, all stated that the scarcity of food and other necessities was becoming more serious. The narratives of thos' willinfr to speak were in agreement, the following being typical: —

1 I was taken from I.eipzic, and sent to a small town, wlierc, T was forbidden to travel anywhere by train or to be out of doors after 8 p.m. I iiad to present myself to the police, twice daily. , They lmte Mr. Hughes, ana matters were made much worse for any Australians there after the speeches he made in iLondon. They have taxed the English cruelly. I have had to pay 175 marks on three occasions for the "armory tax," and they made me 'pay taxes up to next March Before 'they would let me tome' away. They rejoice in the deatli of women and children in Zeppelin raids, and do:larc that the ZeppeV.ns that have been lost in England owe their de-

struction to engine trouble. Everything is on the card cystcm, even

clothes, and you cannot get woollen goods. The poor are suffering terribly in the towns from lack of food. A .soldier who saw ran leaving for home said: "1 would g've 20.000 marks to be allowed to go to Eng'aml." There waf no milk when I left for anyone over 10 years of age. End you had to take tea or coffee without any, and without sugar. There was a. milk powder on sale. Goose fat was 14a a lb. Leather"w.js very scarce indeed, and it cost (is to have this (hild's boot's soled. There was a K-w small piece» of leather, shaped like the well-known metal boot protectors, on each sole. ] have been" trying since August-to get away, but have only j:ist been successful, and have been compelled to pa> a full year's taxes, up to March. The feeling of hatred cf England is more general and stronger thiu over.