GERMAN EXILES.

Evening Star, Issue 21719, 14 May 1934, Page 2

GERMAN EXILES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In your issue of Saturday last it. is stated that concern is , felt lest Jexvish doctors and dentists that have been expelled from Germany should enter Nexv Zealand. As a non-Jewish stildent in an already overcrowded year, and therefore as one xvho should be most concerned, might I suggest that such concern arises from coxvardice to. meet competition ? Objections to the admission of Jexvish refugees here, seem to mo to fall under two headings: (a) The fact that their nationality is different from ours. (b) The fear that they xviil help to overcrowd already overcrowded professions and force the more incompetent members of these to the wall. The’ first .1 would suggest arises from nationalistic prejudices that cannot bo logically justified, and that, therefore cannot be held by any • reasonable and intelligent man. With regard to the second, I xvould suggest that it xviil be to the good of the community if competition does force the more incompetent of our professional felloxv-couiitrymen to find a living in other xvays. Nobody can deny that even in professions there is a small, minority of incompetent men. Many at least of the exiles are men of great intelligence and experience, men of the typo that has enabled Germany hitherto to be supreme in science. When xve read that the official aim of education in Germany noxv is (I) loyalty to the State, (2) athletic proxvess (3) intellectual proficiency, in that order, xve realise the discredit into, which intelligence has there fallen. We can benefit by the obscene folly of a mad regime. To take an extreme case: In Now Zealand eight cases of brain tumour out of every ten die, because our surgeons lack experience necessary for brain surgery and have no opportunity of acquiring that experience. Suppose an exiled surgeon xx’ho, by his experience in Berlin, could operate on those ten Cases so as to lose only three were to come to New Zealand. It is' then obvious that he xvould save the. community a considerable nmnber of lives. The case is extreme, but the principle holds. It is surely to our advantage that a local doctor xvho in ex - ery 100 cases makes ten errors in diagnosis should, be replaced by one xvho makes only one, even though this latter be a Jew. I do not for a moment xvisli to: reflect on the accomplishments of professional men; 1. merely state the obvious enough fact that it xvould be to our advantage to replace the least skilful 2 per cent, of these by more skilful aliens. If the exiled gentlemen xvho xvere to come here had not talent enough to make a. success they alone xvould suffer. If, on the other hand, they had site’ll talent my contention is that it xvould be for the,greatest good of the greatest number to alloxv them to use it. These exiles can make a very real contribution to the cultural and professional life of the country. It xvould be, I think, to our advantage to alloxv them residence here; it xvould also be a generous gesture to victims of intolerance and fanaticism.—l am, .etc., . , ... S.R.K. - May 12. - TO TltE EDITOR. Sir,—lll to-night’s ‘ Star ’ xve read of the possible invasion into Nexv Zealand of Jewish doctors and dentists. The New Zealand professions are very much concerfj.edi;ahout the matter, anil perhaps .rightly so. No doubt protection wilt Tie asked fAnn 1 the Government. But xvhy, may I ask, shoivkl these professions be singled out for protection xvhen all classes of business and trades have to face unfair competition from foreigners, irrespective of xvho and xvhat they are? lam of the opinion if there is to be competition in anything it should start xxdtli those concerned xvith the health of the community, and I am rather surprised that the recent discussion on the advisability, of limiting the. number of medical students xvas allOxx’ed to pass almost xvithout comment. The reason given xvas limitation of accommodation. When one is axx'are of the number of almost empty rooms xvith fexv appointments other than a notice on the door at the Medical School this reason cannot be sxx;alloxved by the writer; 1 have every sympathy xvith doctors, many of xvhonT are haying anything but a -rosy time, but my point is that it just goes to show that most folk, comfortably xvell off until something hits them, are indifferent to the plight and suffering of others not so fortunately placed. If this invasion of Jews brings home to professional men the fact that there is not such a great difference betxveen a profession, trade, or business, then perhaps xve shall get influential men to demand from the Government some measure of protection for everyone’s services. The Germans are not fools; they are the first to realise that unemployment is largely brought about by a type of Jew and multiple shops. Both lead to sxveating, loxv xvages, and eventually xmemployed. In conclusion, this letter is not directed against our highly respected Jexvish community,'hut against a type that spoils everything they get into. It is quite exTdeht that these were responsible for the banishment of all Jexvs from Germany.—l am, etc., Ob.sen v mi. May 12.