THE HUNS' FIGHTING VALUE.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 July 1917, Page 7

THE HUNS' FIGHTING VALUE.

To the Editor, Sir,—ln your issue of to-day there appears a paragraph iwinch credits Chap-lain-Captain Burgin with making the following statement: "I never knew a Xew Zealander whom I did not consider equal to ten Germans." In the past, so far as I have noticed, it has teen left to men posing as war correspondents to indulge in these wild and foolish exaggerations. One individual, named Beach Thomas, who claims to ibe a war correspondent, recently made the statement (it appeared in your cablegrams) that the Germans were now being taught "surrender drill," and had discarded their arms, for which they had substituted baskets of jewellery and fruit, Now, these statements are a gross and shameful insult to our soldiers, for if the Ger-1 mans are such weaklings and are striving to surrender, why cannot our soldiers, who are well armed and trained, break through their lines? If. as Chap-lain-Captain Burgin says, any Xbw Zealander is equal to ten Germans, this country has sent, the equivalent of threequarters of a million Germans; and if all overseas troops are equal to New Zealanders, as they ought to 'be, then there, ought to be sufficient troops from the overseas dominions on the Western front to iwalk through the Huns as though they were nothing more than so many rttbbit?. and that, too, without the .i', of the French or Home armies. These exaggerations are very hurtful to everyone who has the welfare of our troops at heart, and while I claim that no crmv is superior in quality to the men from the Land of the Moa, let us own to facts and give the Huns all tlie credit —and discredit —which is due to a liarbarous, brutal, brave and well organised nation of robbers and bullies.— 1 am. etc., NEW ZEALAM)ER. Kltham, July 16.