SEGREGATION OF DALMATIANS AT PARENGA.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 158, 4 July 1916, Page 8

SEGREGATION OF DALMATIANS AT PARENGA.

A CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. CTo the Editor.) Sir,—l hereby accept Mr. G. E. Alderton's challenge he made to Mr. J. F. Montague in Friday evening's "issue of your paper. I will lodge £50 along with his £~,] wjth yoUj and x challeDge the Parenga Co. and the Government to appoint a commission ,of inquiry composed of loading Auckland citizens, who are not interested in kauri gum trade or Parenga scheme, and if it is not proved in that Commission's finding that the claims of Mr. Montague arc absolutely correct and well-grounded, my £50 goes to the Navy League. If the Commission finds in my favour, Mr. Alderton's £50 goes to the Navy League.

The way this question is developing, I am sorry to state, is not creditable to this country. That Slavs in New Zealand are loyal is proved beyond a shadow of doubt. The British Government has befriended thousands of Austrian Slavs, who escaped from Austria to England at the outbreak of this war, and they are treated by the British Government as friends. Here in New Zealand the first War Relief Fund was opened, and that by Austrian Slavs for war relief of Serbians, who are British Allies, and this was before Britain and Austria were at war. Slavs in New Zealand have contributed towards Serbian and other funds more per head of population than the rest of New Zealand have. We hear a, lot said of the magnificent subscriptions of this country, but no credit is given to the so-called Austrians for their "little bit." Their reward is goin<* to be the tender mercy of this benevolent Parenga concern, who say they do not benefit under the scheme." Of course, 10 per cent royalty chargeable upon the gross earnings of the poor diggers is not mentioned by Mr. Alderton. However, I have no doubt that it will be carefully collected, even though diggers might starve, and I can assure your readers many of these men, if put into Parenga. will have reason to regret they did not keep moneys they gave to war relief funds, which they would find very useful in warding off starvation at Parenga. I may state I am no longer interested in the kauri gum trade, though I am well acquainted with its conditions, and mv motive in accepting this challenge is purely in the cause of fairplay and justice. Further. I am quite confident that if the above Commission is appointed, and proceedings are open to the Press, public opinion will soon show the Government that New. Zealand will not tolerate injustice, and will a is6 show that the proposed action of the Govern-; ment is likely to cause a loss to this country of hundreds of thousands of pounds of export trade per year for the sake of private gain. Mr. Massey lias already refused New Zealand Slavs appeal for inquiry by a Commission into the charges made against them. His reason for refusing, he verbally informed mc, was because, although some people were suffering from hysterics, and made all sorts of charges which had no foundation, he himself was quite satisfied about the Slavs' loyalty in New Zealand. Now, these men are entitled to British justice, and if they are accused of disloyalty, surely they should be given an opportunity of facing their accusers, especially when so many unfounded charges are being made against them, and there is such an overwhelming number of facts which prove them enemies of AustriaHungary before this war, and heart and soul with Serbians, Southern Slav brothers, and British Allies. The Government has refused offer after offer of these men to fight for Serbia, Britain, and other Allies, though some sixty of them are vow fighting with New Zealand forces at the front. If Slavs in New Zealand are to be treated as enemies (which they are not), the proper place for them would be Soames Island, or, if they are to work, let them work for tho benefit of the State, not, as under Parenga scheme, for private exploitation. It seems strange that after two years of war these men are found all of a sudden to be dangerous to the country, and yet through all this time they have not committed a single act of violence. It should be distinctly remembered that a very small number of these men who have given voice to sentiments against the Allies (and there are always a few disloyalists among any large body of men), have been promptly interned at

the request of the so-called "Austrian aliens," but who are Slavs to the core, and hate Austria-Hungary for its cruelty and oppression over hundreds of years. Since this war started, over 00,----000 of Southern Slavs from Austria have gone over to the Serbians, and have given their lives, along with their Serbian brothers, fightin" against the common enemy At the request of the Russian Government Serbia sent 82 officers to Russia to organise a complete army corps composed wholly of Austrian Slavs, who Were either taken prisoners or surrendered to the Russians. This war is 'among nations, not among States, and 'every man who proves himself true to his nationality should be given an opportunity to fight for his natmn's !—I am, etc., T- A- PEJ.KI&. t Auckland, 1/7/16.