LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 303, 16 September 1920, Page 5

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

ASIATIC IMMIGRATION

A MOTBERTGRIEVANCE '■ J? ir, w Plea *° dl<w me a 6 PMfi in your cold-blooded manner in which "the police of Isow Zealand are allowed to drag children away from their mothters. She is token by two policemen a ]<ai<? to the cell with tho children, made an exhibition of in tno street, locked up overnight till 10 next morning, taken to tho Court, the committed, without her bein» able to defend herself. She is also- blamed tor the circumstances, and no consideration shown to lifer. After (battling about with them m Wellington and elsewhere, and meeting the cry "We don't take children, when trying to get accommodation; she has also done her best to »et Maintenance for them and failed. She is expected, in the face of all this handicap, to support herself and them witlv olothes, food), (Otc. Consequently sho loses;'the children to go to tho wall and! the father to go scot free. I hold thtf mother is the rightful owner; thoy are hers entirely. What matter what Imp. pens fa the mother; she is supposed to be a log of wood land feel nothing. After costing reflections on her.- she lias to start on her own, after keeping herself and one child fiv.e years, .battling against religious and other disturbing 'elements surrounding her life. She must sink or swim; that is the law. Men are hard judges against women. W-hen she seeks an adviser, he listens to her story, out of curiosity, and. the case drops; witlv a woman, it is a shrug of the shoulders and a look of scorn. Where docs reform • come inf "Man's inhumanity to man makes countless numbers mourn." Selfishness,' tho robl of a great deal of evil.' Trusting you will give this tho publicity it deserves.—l am, etc.. ■ M. SAVILLE.

fOnr correspondent migltt obtain the advice she needs from the Society for the Protection of Women and children, U9 Willie Street.] \

1 Sir,—l wish you would bo good' enough: ' to draw public attention markedly to ' the Immigration Amendment Act at prV \ Bent beforo the House. Particularly as ■ it refers to the Empire of China and our own measures' for self-defence. ..Lf»t U9 admit that New Zealand is .anxious to safeguard her people freni admixture , with Asiatic races. China (the greatneijs of whose resources and powers, with hor I four hundred miMion population, few of , us have any conception of) offers to dis-' cuss the matter on level terms, nnd to restrict the influx of her people to our \ shores, to such numbers as may bo agreed \ on. She is willing <it once to reduce the number otmilng to one-third of ths present figures. That is an honourable and friendly proposal, from an ally who is of great importance, not only because of her vast blzo, but because of her trustworthiness in keeping agreements, as shown in past history. The Bill in traestisji flouts that princely proposal, and gives, power to an official here to refuse entry to all Chinese pconle. Some of our greatest Empire leaders havo, since tho war, insisted that wo can only avoid future war by dealing with: international questions in a frank way, and by recognising tho rights and n»-' pirations of other nations as well as our. own. New Zealand wishes to reduce her expenditure on armaments to a reasonable minimum. These things cannot be achieved if we deal with such vital questions as this Bill.involves,without carefully searching out the contingencies, As it stands at present, the Bill is a needless rebuff to n great ally, who anxious to retain our friendship, «n ally, of whom a British General snysi "Slio is our natural ally in the East." Apart from ethical right and wrong, is it not foolish to give a largo Empire. a slap in tho face when they are prepared to meet us on reasonable, terms?. I hope you will in your editorial columns show tho very dangerous ground, tho Bill may lead us on to and that there is a clear and practical way to avoid theso damrcrs.—l am. etc.. WILL. B. MATHESON, The following have been elected officers... for the ensuing year of the E-eathorston Cricket Club-.-Patron, Mr. A. Donald; . president, Mr. H. A. Matthews;, vicepresidents, Messrs. H. M. Kendall, W. H. Rowles, T. V. Wilson. G. A. Vincent, R. Dwyer. C. E. Eglinton. J. Cross, H. Lawson, J. Adamson, and Dr. ,T. A. Hon. secretary, Mr. P. Dolmt; captain, Mr. F. Dohnt; vicn-enptain, Mr. W. Henderson; general committee, Messrs. Haines. E. Walker, A. Tait; selection committee, Messrs, Dolmt and Render* eon. Mr. James Archer, who has resigned from the position of engineer to tho Mastcrlon Borough Council, nnd who until recently hold the dual offico of Town Clerk and cnginoer, was tho guest at a fajowoll function tendered to him by tl»i borough staff on Monday evening'. On behalf of tho staff, Mr. T. T. Donby (Town Clerk) presented Mr. Archor witfit a pair of engraved field glasssa.