LAND PURCHASE

WAR LOAN CONDITION

SUGGESTION OF BLACKMAIL

A suggestion that a friendly alien had been improperly treated in connection with his application to acquire the freehold of his market garden was made in the House of Representatives yesterday by Mr. M. H. Oram (National Manawatii), He said that a Chinese saved sufficient money to purchase the freehold and that when the application was made to the Minister to approve the transfer the condition was laid down that he must take up war loan stock to the extent of £1000. As the Chinese had" only sufficient money to buy the land he had to go to a bank to raise a loan and an appeal to the Minister to reduce the amount of the war loan ended in a compromise of £500, said Mr. Oram. Such treatment of a friendly alien was wrong and improper. Mr. J. Hodgens (Government, Palmerston North): Did you listen to a fairy tale? Mr. Oram retorted that his facts had been checked by a solicitor concerned in the transaction. Mr. W. J. Poison (National Stratford) said that it struck at the honour and dignity of New Zealand to suggest that a friendly alien should be =blackmailed for £1000. The Chairman of Committees (Mr. R. McKeen) called Mr. Poison to order. Mr. Poison agreed to withdraw the word "blackmailed," but confessed that he knew no other word which was adequate. The Minister of Justice (Mr. Mason) said that in Australia there were similar regulations to those in force in New Zealand regarding aliens and property. In Australia the question 1 was also raised, when an alien wanted to buy property, of what he was doing to help the war effort. Aliens who were not prepared to help New Zealand were not looked upon with such a friendly eye when it came to granting exemptions from the regulations. He thought there would be a good deal of public concern if the question was not raised as to whether an alien was "making any effort to help the country's war effort, and in his opinion it was proper to raise the question when an alien wished to purchase property. If an alien was doing his best and was not in a position to help the war effort that was not held against him, but if he was able to do something and had not done it, the question must then be raised. Mr. Hodgens asked who determined the amount of £ 1000 mentioned in the case of the Chinese. Mr. Mason said he did. not remember the particular case. Mr. Poison said the Chinese might be helping his own country. Mr. Mason: It is quite open to him to say that, and any explanation he makes will receive consideration. ' PROTECTION OF PEOPLE. Mr. Mason .added that the regulations existed for the protection of our own people and were not for the purpose of hurting aliens. The aliens would receive . reasonable treatment according to the circumstances of their cases. He saw no reason for a great deal of excitement being worked up over, the matter. The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) said there was a considerable amount of public opinion in the country that friendly aliens were getting advantages in the acquisition of houses and businesses that were contracting the opportunities for New Zealand service personnel. It was necessary to approach the matter from that point of view, and also from the point of view that the friendly aliens were not called upon to risk their lives and endure the hardships experienced by service personnel. _ If they enjoyed the privilege of acquiring property in this country was it too much to say that they should lend some of their money so that our boys could fight? ' They should thank God, and he believed they did, that they had a country like New Zealand to live in and own some property. There was nothing unfair in the policy. It was surely not tpo much to ask the aliens to give what they could afford to help the war'effort. Mr. F. W. JDoidge. (National, Tauranga) said he would suggest that it was a case where the Minister had been, taking money at the point of the pistol. It was the method that was wrong, and when it was applied to a friendly alien people would be surprised that the Government had to resort to such means to build up war funds. The Minister had not denied the facts of the case. - Mr. H. T. Morton (National, Waitemata) considered that the Minister had made a grave decision in the matter, and his explanation had made it a great deal worse than before he started. Two Chinese had 42 acres at Foxton and they had answered every patriotic call since the war started. When the appeal was made for the growing of more vegetables they decided to put their 10-years' savings into purchasing the land. The price was £4200 and all they had and could raise from the bank was £2000. That was acceptable to the vendor, but the Minister said they could not complete the transaction unless they subscribed £1000 in war bonds. If that was not political extortion and political blackmail he did not know what was. . At the request of the Chairman of Committees Mr. Morton withdrew both terms. Mr. R. M. Algie (National, Remuera): Say "political terrorism." Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (National, Waitomo): Tough guys. Mr. Algie: "Persuasive tactics." If it was right to claim £1000 from the Chinese, continued Mr. Morton, why did the Minister not stick to the £1000, instead of dropping to £500? The Chinese had to borrow from the bank at 5 per cent. They got only 1\ per cent, for their bonds, and they were not allowed to part with their bonds in any way for five years. Mr. A. S. Richards; (Government, Roskill) said the case was only in conformity with the principle that everyone, rich or poor, should pay war tax for the privileges they enjoyed. Mr. W. S. Goosman (National, Waikato): This is a compulsory loan. Mr. Richards referred to the gallantry of the Chinese and. said the British Empire owed much to them. In the case under discussion one would have thought the banks would have bridged the gap. Mr. Broadfoot: I. can see an embassy in Chungking shortly. Mr. Algie said the issue was whether an. alien should be permitted to buy land or n.ot. If he was entitled to do so by law a condition should not be imposed upon him. It might have been a good wartime policy to have made aliens welcome to the Dominion, but to prohibit their buying of land while New Zealanders were fighting overseas; but when an alien was allowed to buy so long as he contributed to the war loan, how did that protect the men at the front?