LETTERS TO EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 217, 10 June 1944, Page 6

LETTERS TO EDITOR

Allied Nations’ Week Sir, —In view of the generous action of the National Patriotic Fund Board in allotting the week of June 12-17 for each Allied nation to make separate collections and appeals for their respective countries throughout New Zealand, /nay 1 ask for space in your columns.' 'lke bitter privations of my country tor nearly live years and the dire need of our tens of thousands of refugees are too well known to need recapitulation. I want only to ask all our friends and people of goodwill who wish to help us to give their donations to the local blanch of the New Zealand Red Cross Society, which lias kindly agreed to act for us, earmarked for the Polish Rod Cross. The Polish Red Cross is the only organization in New Zealand which is making any collection for Poland. Thanking all our friends in anticipation.—l ant, etc., MARIA WODZICKA, Polish Bed Cross delegate in New Zealand. Wellington, June 9.

Sir. 1 —May I ask for some of your valuable space to draw attention to one of the saddest anniversaries of tl’is war. On June 10, 1942, the Germans perpetrated one of their vilest and most revolting deeds, topping the list of their innumerable crimes. Lidice, a small miners’ village in Czechoslovakia, was razed to the ground as a reprisal for the assassination of Hitler’s hangman, Reinhard Heidrich. All men were shot, the women imprisoned and the children deported to Germany The village was burned to the ground and its name removed from all official records. . There have been atrocities committed by the Nazis during this war which have involved a greater number of casualties, but the crime of Lidice has roused the anger of the democratic world for its callousness and premeditated savagery with which it was committed hundreds of miles behind the fighting lines in allegedly ’'pacified" territory. On no occasion has the sympathy of the allied peoples been so spontaneous and generous. An “Allied Nations' Week" will be conducted under the sponsorship of the Patriotic Fund Board throughout New Zealand during the week ending June 17, and this gives my association th ß opportunity to appeal for the first time to the general public for funds in aid of the victims of Lidice and the many thousand unfortunates sharing their fate. Comforts are needed also for the Czechoslovak. soldiers and airmen who fought valiantly in Africa, Russia and over Europe. Contributions should be ad. dressed to P.O. Box 2(11). Wellington, and will be acknowffi’’ ' ■ dividually.—l am. etc.. Dr. G. STEINER. Wellington, June u. Heather In National Park Sir, —I was interested in a recent article in your paper referring to heather growing in the National Park area, be. cause it recalled to my mind an incident which occurred when I was on a visit to Taupo over 30 years ago. I had occasion to visit Constable Wright to inquire the whereabouts of a Maori boatman. The constable informed m<‘ that the Maori had been imbibing too freely and that he had been locked up for tty night. He took me down to the “lock, up" to see the Maori. He then opened the door of an adjoining cell and showed me a large pile of heather seed which, he informed me, had been gathered at Pio Pio and was to be sown over the National Park. Probably this seed would bo tlie product of the original seed sown by Commissioner Cullen as mentioned in vour article. —1 am, etc., S. E. LAMBERT. Wellington, June 7.