After the outbreak of war there was a growing public opinion that all Germans in Australia should be interned. It was also suggested that protecting people with German names was impacting on recruitment efforts. One recruitment sergeant, quoted in Melbourne’s Age newspaper (16th Feb 1916), said “It is utterly useless in some cases to ask men to enlist while Germans are permitted to stay in Australia in public positions or to remain free members of the community.” Another press report tells of a man named Kayser (a name similar to the German title ‘Kaiser’, or ‘emperor’) who was in a responsible position at the passport office. It was suggested he was a security risk and would give passports to Germans. The story implied that the people of Australia were being duped and should not be surprised to wake one morning and find the German flag flying in their country. 

News items about public servants with Teutonic names appeared from January 1916 onwards, but it is unclear in which month this cartoon by Harry Julius was created. Julius shows a fortress-like building labelled a government department. A balding and bespectacled public servant pops his head out of the building and says, “It’s very nice of these Australians. They go and fight to keep me in a nice fat job – Yes.” He produces a sack of money and looks around in a shifty manner. The words “Better than being interned – Yes” appear.  

If made after 30 August 1916 (when the proposal for a ballot on conscription was announced), this text may be a play on words. It uses a Germanic sentence structure, with a “Yes” at the end of each statement. This may also cleverly reference the impending referendum, in which voters were encouraged to vote “yes” for conscription to maintain the armed forces needed to fight the force of Germany in Belgium and France.