RUTHLESS GERMANS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1919, Page 2

RUTHLESS GERMANS.

SUFFERINGS OF FRANCE;

STORY BY M. EE CIEEQ-MOTTE.

A graphic story of tie Bufferings of Franco under the ruthless heel of I'rus.-siamam was told at Auckland on Saturday by M. le Clerq-Motte, one of the members of the French Mission at present visiting New Zealand. Nothing that had been read, he said, could give an idea of the extent of the suffering. 1 ranee had lost 2,000,000 of the pick of her manhood, either killed or permanently disabled. For four long years they had had their richest provinces crushed under the heel of the enemy. The - Germans had never expected to find them provinces. _go_rich, and, as they put '' themselves, they found there "a great prey." "I assure you," continued the speaker, "they made the best of it." All I tell you are facts that I know personally through members of my family who have been repatriated. If you had a cow, the milk was for the Germans; if you had hens, the eggs were for the Germans—but you had" to pay for the feeding of the animals. The Germans counted your chickens, your tame rabbits, and even your guinea pigs, and if one was missing you went to gaol. You had to grow potatoes and gather them, but those potatoes wero for f. ermans. If it had not been for the "riean Belief Commission, the whole of our northern population would have starved. You were compelled to keep your doors open, and if the Gerj mans walked in and found you eating* I potatoes, you went to gaol." Continuing, M. Motte said hia father, wife and I father-in-iaw went to gao l . His father | was s«nt a prisoner to Germany.

REFUSED TO WEAVE SHROUD. M the beginning of the war the Germans insisted that the manuiacturers should weave sandbags for their army. 'TVIy father-in-law," he said, in the name of tile manufacturers: 'We shall not weave the shroud of our children, and he was sent to gaol." When the Allies bombarded the Turkish town of Alexandretta, the Germans imposed a fine on Koubaix, though he failed to see what Roubaix had to do with the matter. As Roubaix refused to pay it, the leading citizens were sent to Germany. Again, at the end of last year the Germans took from Northern France 1000 hostages —6OO men and 400 women. Among the latter some were more than sixty years of age, and some were mothers of ten children. On Easter Monday, 1910, 8000 girls were taken into slavery from Lille. Boys were employed on railway works, and were worked so 'hard that they were utterly broken down in health. The people who were repatriated were in a pitiful state of health as the result of the haish treatment to which they had been subjected. STOLE EVERYTHINa

Added to the physical sufferings of the people were the moral sufferings. The Germans stole everything—£2o,ooo,ooo worth of wool, copper and leather, the clothing from little children, the wool from the mattresses of the 'beds. When they had done with stealing they began destroying machinery. "Realise what it means," the speaker continued, "to a man of fifty'or sixty who has been working all his life in the building up of an industry, to see it crumble down. The Germans hunted our families oat of the best rooms of the houses, and introduced women of ill-repute into our homes. When children asked who those women were, mothers were hard put to it to keep from bursting into tears. If a wife complained, she was sent to gaol for insulting the German army." Now those sufferings hod come to an end, and they were rejoicing in victory for which they thanked Almighty God. The punishment had come and the time for justice. They did not seek revenge. That right belonged to God alone, but it. was the duty of man to see that full justice was obtained. For that they trusted their leaders, who had been chosen by free people. They needed the support of the Allies more than ever. It was the union 'between the Allies which saved civilisation. But the work was not finished; they must now recover, and they could not do this unless every citizen was united and had only one object, the ■welfare of his country.

HOW THE DOMINION CAN' HELP

Germany would try her hardest to re'gain her rank in the commercial word. If she succeeded, all our efforts, all our sacrifices, would have been in vain. Her machinery was not destroyed, but that of France had been. If Germany got a lead this country would not get a fair start. "But we know," he added, "that we can trust our Allies. We know that they will help us in every possible way. It was with interest- that I read President Wilson's speech when he said that it was the duty of the world to help. I know that New Zealand entirely agrees with this view. You will help by buying our products-' You will help us to ; :give work and bread to our working populations of Northern France, who have been starving for more, than four years \mder the yoke of Germany. You will help us to rebuild our foreign trade, to improve our-ex-change so as to pay our debts. You will help us to keep the Germans out of the trade until they realise that war dooa not pay. In doing so you will help to maintain France in her proper place-—in front of Germany—that she might , always remain what she has been in the past, the leadeT of the great ideas fif liberty and civilisation."