"FRIENDLINESS" OF THE GERMAN.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 April 1919, Page 5

"FRIENDLINESS" OF THE GERMAN.

A NEW OFFENSIVE. • w' r Al '! iur J app "turned to London last month, after a tour in France and the area of British occupation in Germany, undertaken in connection with the work of the Y.M.C.A. In an interview with a press representative, Sir Arthur spoke of what he regarded as the serious danger arising from the friendliness of the German people to* Wards our troops. "Op# 0 | the biggest dangers we have to face in the occupied area of Germany," he said. "is the «t»ordinary friendliness of the German people which I regard as a deliberate new offensive on tie part of tie Fl™° Any mortal thing they can do for our troops they will do, and our men are not unnaturally to contrast favorably the attitude of the Hun. in Cologne with that of the H«n in Belgium and Flanders. Very rightly, the authoring Wl m? Ol Jcourage friendliness of a propei kind, and a British general recently issued an order in which he ur«d the men so to behave that in thirty thaife l\S\w ?v ople of CoI °£ ne wU > thank God that the city was occupied by the British Army. "It is very pleasant to see the children flock around our men, but it mu* be remembered that it was at Cologne that bornble atrocities were committed on our f«i? ner A f"! , llle Government should realise that thi? excessive Hun friendliandX y ery ffreftt dft! « er - The rank and file of our armies are billeted in nrivate houses, and for the most part thev are very comfortable. But they are hurmng for demobilisation, about which th«y know very little. They are fceine released in considerable numbers, hut the position is that our men are now killing time instead of the Germans, and the? find it very hard work Therefore to meet the danger of Hun friendliness it is very necessary to provide occupation and entertainment through British or. R® 1 !"' , Uljd .t'lis is where the Y.M.C.A. work is invaluaible."