IN THE PUBLIC MIND

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 164, 13 July 1945, Page 4

IN THE PUBLIC MIND

1 CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS THJE ALIEN QUESTION' To the Editor j '-G.A.P." points out that it would Ibe regrettable if pissi-v.i became aroused over the question of aliens, but he does everything to spread misinformation and prejudices. Pie points out that 514 aliens have acquired land, houses and businesses to the value of UJSiS/fi, and thus deprived returned soldiers of accommodation and opportunities. However, he omitted to mention that during the last four years nearly 112,000 New Zeaianders have acouired land and houses to the value of over £95,000.000. If we would add to this the_ amount spent in the_purchase of businesses—nearly ail of them being sold for much more than the'-' are worth—we would reach a figure of about £250,000,000. In advocating the deportation of aliens—and it should be remembered that not ah aliens are refugees—he proposes thai fiscated, as it represents war profits. '•"G.A.P."' does not think it worth while to recommend that these war pronts should be confiscated from everybody. _ ihe war effort of the aliens in this country is in no way smaller than that of the New Zealand citizen. The manpower regulations apply to British subjects as well as to aliens. Conscription for military service applies only to Britlsh-bcrrt, but nearly ail aliens of military age have volunteered for military service, which constitutes a much bigger percentage than that of New Zealanders who volunteered. That only a small number have been accepted is not their fault. There are about 1100 refugees in this country, which constitutes about one-four-teenth of one per cent of the total population. This number includes aged people, children and women occupied in household duties, so that only about 400 are actually emoloyed in earning a iiving. A number of these refugees have fought against Fascism long before tne average New Zealander. ar.d under more dif- ' ficult and equally dangerous circumstances. These people "have the same right of rehabilitation as anyone else who fought against r asclsm. It was Hitler's technique to stir up hate against a small group of people who were too weak to defend themselves. There is no difference between the ' demand to deport refugees and the ; treatment which Nazi-ism wants to ! hand out to national, racial and political minorities. . F.M. UNRRA ', It is a marked characteristic of : those who would take authority to 1 impose conditions upon others, that • thev invariably are intensely sincere . in believing such actions to _be in ; the best interests of the other fellow; and that they will construe any ! criticism of their methods as an . attack on their lofty motives or on • their personality. This human ; frailty, I think, gives _ rise to a "dictatorship mentality." as currently exemplified in our abundant '"planners," and as distinct from the : philosophy which urges an individual • to attend to his own business while ■ conceding to others a mental capacity • to do likewise. I proffer this reflec- : tion to M: Alois as a possible ; explanation of what, to him. appears 1 to*be my "curse" in insisting that before we voluntarily entrust large . powers to "officials'" we should try to . ensure their corresponding respor:- ; sibility to those likely to be directly •. affected. Hence my objection to the [ '•'shadowy'' nature* of our alleged : sanction of the tremendous powers i invested in the international body t Unrra. Even if our contributions 1 to the massed means of existence . which this body is apparently free to [ dispense on its own sweet terms - were voluntary, we could reasonably - expect some say in or at least ; knowledge of whom, "and upon what i terms, if any. it is being disbursed. t Not long ago a report of an Unrra j conference in Australia informed us 1 that "New Zealand"' had advocated an enforced reduction of our rations > to make larger contributions to their pool. "New Zealand" was one • man. whose name was even unknown [ to us. But our rations were duly = reduced by force of law. My sugijgestion to increase production by "- \ freeing private enterprise from | paralysing restrictions is to M. ; | Aldis. a "diatribe." FRANK N. ROBSON. MAXPOWERED } Amongst men engaged on tramline repair work in Symonds Street I I saw a young man who was obvi--1 ously unfitted for his occupation. He I appeared unable to lift a heavy pick | and was making little progress in I breaking up the concreted surface. iOn humanitarian grounds I sug- | gested to the foreman in charge of

the operations that the work was too heavy for the young man and that he ' should be given lighter work. The foreman replied that

there was no lighter work he could give the young man and that he had Been sent there by the manoower office. CITIZEN. [There is provision for a man who thinks he is incapable of carrying out work to which he is directed under the Manpower Regulations to go before a medical beard for examination. Ke can also appeal to the Industrial Manpower Committee against the direction or against the decision of the medical board if he is not satisfied with it.—Editor.]