THE EMDEN’S VISIT

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 210, 1 June 1929, Page 10

THE EMDEN’S VISIT

MAYOR of AUCKLAND AND MR. PENSELER FURTHER TELEGRAM Dominion Special Service. Auckland, May 31. A further telegram was received today by the Mayor (Mr. George Baildor' from the German Consul in Wellington, Mr. W. Penseler, in reference to the approaching visit oT the German cruiser Emden. It will be recalled that two days ago the Mayor received a telegram from the Consul to the effect that assuming that there were grounds for the Press references to the proposed civic recepti >n he respectfully suggested that any such proposal be abandoned in order to avoid public controversy. The Mayor replied thanking the Consul for his telegram and stating that he was in accord with the views expressed by him. The telegram .which Mr. Baildon received to-day is as follows: “In view of some erroneous interpretation being given in the Press to my respectful telegraphic suggestion to you, I would very highly appreciate a public declaration from'you to the effect that you consider my action timely and helpful.” “I am complying with the request of the German Consul,” the Mayor said. “I have replied to him stating that I am in accord with his views and that It is my intention to carry out his wishes as expressed in his telegram.”

Missioner’s Views. Rev. H. K. Vickery, of Auckland, who was for some years chaplain at Newcastle, stated to-day that it was about five years ago that the first German cargo ship since the war entered an Australian port. When the vessel, flying the flag of the Fatherland, arrived at Newcastle the chaplain, in accordance with custom, invited the crew to visit his institute. A number of the men availed themselves of the invitation, said Mr. Vickery. “Several had made use of the mission in other ports before the war and a few were quite young, all of them being under military age during the war years. A number of coastal and deep-sea Australian and British seamen were present when the Germans arrived. The majority of the British seamen had taken part in the war either afloat or ashore. These men asked me if the ones who had just come in were Germans,” the chaplain re aarked. “I said ‘Yes,’ and for a moment wondered what was going to happen. Then one of them who had served on the German front said he was going over to have a yarn. Soon all the men were talking together and all joined in the sports and the social life of the mission. After this various German ships came into Newcastle, and there was never any trouble. British sailors invariably treated the Germans as though the war was indeed a thing of the past. The missioner was unable to refer with pleasure to the attitude of the women and. girls assisting at the institute. “Theirs is quite a different story,” he said. “They refused to converse with the Germans or to join in any games or outings while their foreign guests were present.” Mr. Vickery is a returned soldier, and well acquainted with the Germans as a nation. He considers they have not shown their usual tact in regard to the forthcoming visit. “My opinion is that they have made an awful error in sending a war vessel of the name Emden to these waters,” he said.

CHRISTCHURCH R.S.A. “ORDINARY COURTESIES” ADVISABLE By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, May 31. “Unofficial and unconsidered,” were the terms applied by the president of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association (Mr. G. A. Hayden) to a motion passed last night by a section of the association members respecting the impending visit of the German cruiser Emden to New Zealand. A meeting of the standing committee of the association was held to-day, and after the meeting Mr. Hayden stated •that men could light and if the fight was clean they could shake hands and be friends. If the fight was not clean and there had been some hitting below th > belt handshakes need not be given, but the ordinary courtesies of life could be exchanged. The Germans had hit below the belt, as it were, by the use of poison gas, but he thought they could still be offered ordinary courtesies.

“We are of opinion,” he concluded, “that the action based on last night’s motion would cause great trouble, as it would keep alive an enmity which should be allowed to die.”