GERMAN RULE IN POLAND.
GRINDING MEASURES.
[BY A LEADING MEMBER OF THE POLISH
INDEPENDENCE PARTY J
WHEN AUSTRIANS 'AND
THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESE, MONDAY, DECEMBER 27TH, 1915.
GERMANS DIFFER,
FIQUANT EPISODES IN A POLISH;
TOWN,
Recent information ling made it abua-j The financial exploitation of Russian dantly clear that a serious confict of Poland by the German authorities has sentiment and purpose axists between assured in certain parts of the country the Austrians and their German Allen the form of strange varieties of specula-Lin regard to the present and future treat. tion. Thus, for instance, in Lodz, where ment of Poland, Fresh and remarkable great quantities of coal are required for | fuel in the houses and in those factories which are working at least a small frae tion of the time, the Curmau authorities (the Police Office) havo introduced a monopoly in coal and coke. No one is allowed to provide himself with coal by
any other channel; certain stores bought by the manufacturers without the inter- mediary of the German authorities have
been confiscated.
The German authoritie, are exacting 4s. 5d. for a sack of coal which certainly did not cost them more than 2x 24d. The coal is taken from round Dombron, mostly ppm the "Sutura" Mine, which belongs the same Lodz monafacturers to whom the coal is subsequently sold at Buch preposterous prices. Even the coal which the town of Lodz is compelled to supply for fuel in the buildings used by the Gurman authorities and Arany has to be bought from those same authorities.
For a sack of coke which formerly cost 2. 5d. the German authorities now. charge ds. d. The police office has been making about £10 on each railway truck of coal, and all in all, hundreds of thou- sands of pounds, The humanitarian president, von Oppen, had promised for sutus time to give back part of these pro fite, £900, to meet the needs of the town, but he soon forgot his promise.
In some localities the population has boon forbidden to buy provisions from anyone except the German commissariat officera; then were importing without exception valueless cattle, ring for them arbitrary prices. Similarly, the "Wareneinfulir,' which monopolizes the trade in four, fixes very high prives for
it.
EXCHANGE MAN IPULATION.
proof of this fact is afforded by a writer in the lusskoye Sloos, who has visited Lubin since its occupation by the enemy Some extrącie from his article are given below.
"What struck me most during my visit to Lublin was the holiday brightness which pervaded the place.
Austria's policy of ingratiating herself with a variety of nationalities has been prac tised here in the highest degree. The Russian troops left the town on July 29th, in the night, and destroyed behind then the railway station, the bridges and a series of station buildings.. own remained untouched until July 30th, when the Austrians entered,
The
"First of all they changed their uni forms, and at noon the pageant began. The first troops tu enter the Cracow suburb were a squadron of the 1st Uhlan Regiment of the Polish Legion. At first there was some confusion in the crowd, but it ceased as soon as the strains of the Polish National Hymn were heard. The Uhlans paraded the streets, dressed in the crimson Polish uniform and wear ing square hats trimmed with fur. Fotish national banners waved and the squadron greeted the people with cries of Long live free and nuspendeat Poland! Long live the Polish nation" Polish officers were appointed to the chef administrative posts of the town, and complete freedom was afforded to all the Polish public organidations. Prices of food dropped nearly to the normal, be cause the Austrians paid in ready caah for everything thoy consumed,
THE SCENE CHANGED;
"But this idyllic condition of affairs The German authorities have been stopped on August 11th, when the Staff making a considerable amount of money of General Mackensen's Army entered by speculating on the money exchange: the town. All the Austrian authorit Certain fees are accepted from the were replaced by Gertuans, who did not Allies, population only in silver roubles, which stand on ceremony with their are valued very low, while in other cases The conquerors of the day before sub
bava only marks
blom demanded-mitted patiently. Then came the custo Especially in the payment for coal the mary ugly German business. The Gar German authorities have refused to ac mans imposed a contribution of 350,000 cept their
OWD war bank papor roubles upon the town, without any (Darlehenschtine), and draw out of the reason, and took 5,000 roubles from the country the silver coinage and bank magistrates cash box. They made mer notes, Baying contentiously, German ciless requisitions on everything, seizing coal must be paid for with Gorman provisions, wood, coal, petrol and can money." As a matter of fact, the cost dles, wool and loather. The German in question is taken from the Polish dis officers and soldiers "bought" from the trict of Dombrova,
shops, without payment, all kinds of wares, and sometimes forgot even to give their celebrated receipts.
are fixing The German authorities taxes and raising those which oxisted before the war. Although all trade had
Lublin groaned under the Teutons. stopped before their order for payment As for the Austrians, they were the first of taxes was published, the said order to advise the Lublin people not to pay. demands payment of all taxes on in- the contribution. The Chief of the Aus dustry, threatening first a fine of £250 trian General Staff, von Noeff, negotiated In default of payment and further fines on the subject with Mackennen, and the afterwards. According to their calcularesult was the receipt of an order that tjong Lodz alone ought to pay then more the Germans should leave Lubliname. than £100,000 of trade taxes,
diately.
While all kinds of foes are drawn from the country the German authorities are showing extraordinary ingenuity in or ploiting it whenever they are compelled to make investments indispensable to them for military reasons, Thus, for instance, they frequently force local bodies to pay for the repair of the rail. way or road which they take over in their own military interest,
Similarly, the entire burden of the upkeep of Rus
has
dier at Lodz of a been thrown on the
towa.
DEVASTATION OF FORESTS.
THE ROBBERS,
"On the eve of their departure the German commandant, Colonel. Schultz man, found time to pay an evening visit to the magistrate and to demand 1,000 roubles on account of the contribution. At a later hour in the night the Germans forced the President of the town, M. Kolachkovsky, to opou the bank in the presence of witnesses and to pay over In the the 25,000 roubles demantled. morning the Gerraan troops left the
town.
"Colonel Madjaru, an Austrian, was appointed Commandant of Lublin, and The German authorities are ruining the post of police chief was given to the wealth of the country as much as it Leon Ghetter, a Pole. In order to pacify is possible to do. The confiscation of the people the new commander issued an the cotates belonging to the Government order forbidding any kind of requisition and of the donation estates threatens This order was interpreted so literally the Polish administrative personnel with that when two German officers, acord the loss of employment. Every where the ing to their habit, took some wares with Germans are cutting down, the forests in out payment, they wore arrested by the a way that creates despair among the Austrian gendarmes. While the Ger- population, which soy the completo ruin mans were in Lublin prices of commo of all forestry-A-special company has ditios--rose-considerably and petrol and beon formed for the exploitation of the benzino disappeared antirely. timber, and is carrying out ite pro- graning systematically.
VINES AND FEES,
AUSTRIANS KNOW.
TOMMY IN TROUBLE.
JOTTINGS FROM AN OFFICER'S NOTE-BOOK.
(DYBTAFE CAPTAIN."]
One cannot very well spond twelve months at the front, as I have, without coming across some odd experiences. They are all in the day's round, and, after a time, are taken as a matter of course. Perhaps some of them, which I jotted down in a rough diary, may be of interest as showing the life and work of our troops in France,
Where shall I begin? Probably our place is as good as another for this pur puse. Accordingly, I will start with little incident that occurred on a cortain bleak wintry morning last February. 1
mac
was sitting in my tent at a rail-head near Armentières About two o'clock the flap was pulled aside and a entered and asked for the officer on duty, As I ocupied this proud position. ! inquired his business,
Please, sir, I want to go to Rouen," he said.
"Very well; who are you!"
I'm a prisoner."
Escort?"
A prisoner? Then where's your "Oh, they got drunk at Givenchy and lost my ticket. I thought the best thing would be to ask you for another. It's quite all right, sir. I'm sentenced to death. This is my warrant, committing me to the military prison at Rouen. Please, when is there a train ?"
This
WAR NEWS.
THE BABY ON THE PEG,
I must have been in bed an hour when I was awakened by an awful crash," wrote the wife of a "Toomy " at the front-the letter being quoted in the Daily Dispatch, “I knew it was them Zepps. There was another terrible bang. I took my clothes off the chair, shoved them on a hook, gripped baby, and ran downstairs to the collar you must not blame me.
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"It Was borrible, I why baby didn't cry. at the dear. Dear a good job he had a strong mightis on. I know you'll forgive me, If you coly knew what I went through. I had hung aby upside down on the wall by the hom of his nightie, and was nursing the big The poor pillow with lace frills, kid,..
ARMY MOUSTACHES,
A Lordon correspondent states that the order has gone forth that officers in the Army are for the future to mar moustaches if possible. This new odict was announced to a party of aspirants to commissions, and some of them are in a quandary owing to their inability to grow the hireatics) effect at all. On the cther hand, the toothbrush toustache- the tuft of hain about half the usual breadth-is doonzed in the Army, for the officera commanding declare they will
would rathen no moustache at all. The "kauts' tufts," as toothbrush moustache is known in the Army, has become the vogue lately, and although it has been tolerated it has never been admired, and now the halt has been ordered.
not tolerate them at any price. They
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I stared at him in amazement.
Some people have been depressed by ARAKAN... was the coolest customer I had ever seen. Here was a man walking about with the news of explosions in munitions fact- death sentence hanging over his head ories in America, England, or France, TJISONDARI and calmly inquiring when it would be and particularly by the rumour of a I successful piece of German devilry in convenient to carry it into effect.. asked for details. They were promptly blowing up a big factory at Petrograd. KARIMOEN According to the papers But explosions happen in the enemy's forthcoming..
The French he produced my visitor had been court camp as well as in ours. martialled for sleeping at his poet and Government issued the following note a TJIKEMBANG few weeks ago:
"On the subject of sentoused to be shot. There was a pro spect, however, of the sentence being the explosion at Brest Litovak, of which commuted to penal cervitude, and this the papers report that it caused the was why he was on his way to the mili- death of 2,000 Germans, it is noticeable tary prison at Rouer, All I could do that during recent times explosions was to forward him there with a fresh have been very frequent in Germany. found on German escort What his ultimate fate was I Correspondence
prisoners captured during recent fights never knew.
have disclosed several. The powder fac tory of Cubeland has been blown up. On active service the provost-marshals Reinsdorf, near Wittenburg, the and their staffs are very busy persons; munition factory has been blown up and At Coswig, in a good many military offenders 300 people killed. and a passed through my hands. It was im-similar accident, 217 killed and alust possible, not to feel sorry for some of as many wounded." them. A case that I recollect was the say, adds the Franch communique, that following.
THE THREE REFENTENT DESERTERS.
One bitter night, as I was shivering over a brazier in my hub, there was a timid knock at the door. Opening it I saw three ragged, unshaven, miserable. Agures dressed partly in khaki and part- ly in civilian clothing.
"What is it?" I demanded. "Please, sir," returned the spokesman, "we want to give ourselves up.'
Who are you ?”
Please, we're deserters." "I suppose you know what you're saying
"Oh, yes, sir. We've made up our minds to surrender. We've had enough of it."
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[1184
It is needless to THE TAIKOO DOCKYARD
the German newspapers have preserved a discreet silence upon these events,
MORE GERMAN BRÛTALITY
PRISONERS OF WAR. TIED TO STAKES AND MERCILESSLY BEATEN.
Some farther instances of the Germans' brutality to their prisoners have been sup plied to Mr. H. Warner Allen, the special correspondent of the British Press with the French Armies, by & French prisoner who has just returned from Germany.
"My informant," the correspondent says, was sent to a prisoners' camp in Germany, whore he was attached to the infirmary. The staple nourishment was beetroot and rotten cod. Prisoners were continually struck and kicked for the most futile reasons.
The poor fellows looked like it, too. I never saw three such miserable speci- meas of humanity in all my life. By
For the smallest offence they were degreas I got their story from them. According to this, they had been in the tied to a stake with their heads bare in trenches and had been sent down to the the full summer sun. A French prisoner base for six days' rest. After three days, who had tried to escape was mercilessly however, they were ordered to go up to beaten, and the mixt day orders were the front again, Foolishly nailing the two of his fellow to tie him Eo stake. They refused, and were upon what they termed their. " they had then-to adopt their own ex-struck with the flat of a sabre. Every- presion" done a hunk." For the best one, even the wounded, was compelled part of a week they had hidden them to work. There was practically no me selves in goods trains and travelled about dical attendance, and a paralytic died the country by night, living on turnips from want of care.” snatched from fields or such food as they The result could procure in villages. was they were half-starved and nearly dead with fatigue.
"I suppose you know you'll be shot " I said,
"That doesn't matter," returned the leader of the trio. The fact is, we'd rather bu shot then go back to the trenches. It's simply hell there just
now,"
I had no choice but to hand them over to the military police. As it happened to teve a likey were not shot. They had surrendered themselves voluntarily, and this facts was taken into consideration n the at the subsequent court-martial,
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A part of my work for a short time was connected with the decoding of cipher messages from the Staff. It was always interesting to see what the big- TaLIPBOX No. 212 had to say; and when one of their as wigs at GHQ. (General Headquarters). ages came in to my office there would be great excitement to know what it was all about. I remember one such message It had come from a specially important commander, and took mo ly hour to unravel. Everybody gathered round inspect the result of my labours, which, it was thought, would tell us what the Gormans were really doing. The despatch, however, merely read as follows:
Why the devil does the commissariat keep sending me plum jam? Isn't there any other eort in stock ??
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"The Austrians chatted unrestrain edly. The younger officers expressed. Incredibly high tariffs have been im scepticism concerning the reports of the posed on the import into Russian Poland Austrian Staff as to their own success of goods which are indispensable to it spoke with derision of the German state for example, oil, soap, food, etc. Finesments and predicted bitter disappoint and contributions are imposed on townsment for the Kaiser's trou The Ger- on the slightest pretext. Besides all this marshy districts of Russia.
YED UP WITH SALISBURY PLAIN. the country has been ruined by fiscal mang little imagine, they said, what If some men were auxious to avoid the exactions in the shape of fees for pass the Russians are. We know them a little trenches, others appeared equally anxious porty and temporary passes. For tickets better, and we shall car the Germans to serve in them, Apropos of this, I from one railway station to another singing a different tune shortly.” came across two other military prisoners simply fantastic prices have been fixed.
in Franco, charged with deserting from
THE TEMPORARY CHAPLAIN, temporary pass is required for a journey from one district to another.
Bagland. Their story was that they had
with Balisbury Plain, got" fed up
Staff officers when on active service. (There was a time when such a paes was porte are issed, the German Treasury whereas what they wanted was to go to are popularly supposed by their regi. required even for going from one village will obtain £1,000,000. According to the to another.) Political reasons hardly order of Field-Marshal von Hindenburg the front. Securing a pass to London, mental comrades to live lives of mingled come in here, because anyone can obtain published June 9th, if anyone in the they found themselves ons might at idleness and luxury. Believe me, this is Victoria Station. There they calmly the voice of envy speaking with ignor a pass on payment of a certain foo. But occupied territory should be found after shed themselvice or to a Traft that August 1st. 1915, without a passport, he
ance. In my branch, the Staff had to these fees are simply incredible; for be liable to imprisonment for a term we leaving for France and entered the keep slogging at it for, onun average, pase to the nearest" place one has to pay 25.; to a place further away, 39.; and not exereding 10 years, or in case of ex- train. From the train they precede sixteen hours a day, and much of the
for on board the boat at Folkestone, and in work was most uninteresting. The tow so un. The passes rise as high as 10s tonuating circumstances, to a to 208. In a country with a popalation from 108.10 £300. In view, however, of due course reached Boukgae. As nobody was a dreary little provincial hore, and asked awkward questions, they stuck to our billet would have been condemned at of several millions, districts, connected the inefficiency of the Corman adminis the draft and travelled with them up to sight by any sanitary inspector who by economic, administrative, and family tration, von Hindenburg himself had on Béthune For nearly a weak nothing knew his job. All my comrades who
and they might still be there, could do so got out of the place at the- ther by the way for a whole muath; the the passport law would come into force fees, therefore, for temporary passos now to September 1st-
acate departaments, they were arrested for being in a
After a time, however," bring in every mouth hundreds of thou
Ono cannot tell how many new forms during prohibited hours. When the fact this practics was forbidden, since HONGKONG DAILY PRESS," sands of pounds.
of economic exploitation the methodical was report they said they belonged, one captain with us who, on being suo- ted to the colonel of the batte were too many applications. We had German mind will invent for the occu- pied territory of Rusian Poland. The that oficer announced that no such men population, tired out by the war, and
on it, as Mr. Atkins says. Inquiries accepts them in an apathetic mood, find were then set on foot, resulting in the ing comfort in the reflection that this discovery of the real regiment of which system of robbery proves that the Ger- these warriors were members. They were mans do not expect to remain in Russian both sent back to England to be curl Poland. One does not ruin economically martialled
Personally,
I rather ad country in which ons expects to atoe wired their spirit. Anyway, they were The Pines.
not shirkora,
bonds, had been isolated from doe anc- August 3rd to postpone the day on which mado Blip. One afternoon earliest possible moment by joining other
In June the fiscal ingenuity of the Germana juvented a new Eource of -income Everybody above the age of 15
lion to which
PRINTING & BINDING
OF EVERY DESCRIPTION-EXECUTED AT THE OFFICES:
OF THE
bag to have a passport with a photo the country ruined by so many disasters were on his lista. This put the ky bash cessively relised a transfer as military WHICH ARE REPLETE WITH ALL THE LATEST AND MOSE UP-TO-DATE"
graph, For children below the age of 15, comme passports without photographs are admissible. The passport coste 10% The passport does not give ite. helder any rights, or entitle huu to move from one place to another. Thus, if, under the pamport law, only two million pass
landing officer Press consor provost marshal, interpreter, telegraphist, avio- tor, camp adjutant, sanitary expect, road surveyor and a few other things. applied to become a temporary chap- aim. The only result he achieved was to have a medical board assembled to inquire into his mental condition.......... Daily Mail
104.
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