AN ITALIAN GESTURE.

Evening Star, Issue 23564, 1 May 1940, Page 2

AN ITALIAN GESTURE.

TO TH* EDITOR. , Sir,—l am surprised that your cor-* respondent in to-day’s ‘ Star ’ takes offence at the interview with Mr Lombardi. After all, it is quite in order for a newspaper, man to approach a man like Mr Lombardi, who is in constant touch with his people in Italy j his remarks have a certain news value, and I, for one, was quite interested to read-the opinions. - I do not know this man, but judging by other Italians in this country, I suppose he is quite a good citizen, and I doubt that he had any intention of spreading Fascist propaganda. ~ . ... As for the Chinese residents in this country, they are a very law-abiding lot, keeping very , much to themselves, and have at various times expressed their gratitude by generous contributions to our hospitals and other institutions, and I am sure that if it were possible to take active part in our war effort they would do it. X think your correspondent misses the really dangerous people in our country, the German refugees. Are they really refugees or halve they been sent here to wait for the day, as in Denmark and Norway ? Some, of these, people have been ngre three and-.,four years ; and brought put Many relatives and friends. Jews-or hot,, they-’ are still very much German, and like all Germans, will stop at nothing to advance the cause of their country. No German is ‘content to stay in the background in any country, and at the preseht time it is our duty to curtail these people’s liberty. It is high time that the Government interned the-lot, I believe that a German has been put in the choir for the Centennial musical festival. Surely this must be offensive to all patriotic New. Zealanders. I trust that something will be - done immediately to have this person removed, and if this is not done our people should protest hy not attending the concerts during the festival.—l am, et April 30. Patriot. [We cannot imagine a German harming anyone by singing in a choir.—Ed., E.S.J ■ TO THE... EDITOR. Sir, —‘‘Anti-Fascist’’ is to be commended for his letter. I have no doubt there are hairdressers in Dunedin who avail themselves of your, advertising columns, and who have given, not only money, but relatives to the Allied cause. I am prompted to- wonder whao sort of a reception a Dunedin hairdresser in Rome would receive were he to try and insert half a column in one of l)r Gayda’s controlled newspapers. I can imagine his remains with a stilleto between the ribs lying beside the Appian Way on-the following morning. Judging by the tone of the Italian Press, Italy’s attitude to the Allies seems to show that she will shortly be standing four square with the mad wolves of Germany. Perhaps Mr Lombardi will inform this British community whether Mussolini’s sabre-rattling is' merely so much noise to scare away the birds. I notice that 70 members of the House of Commons in a secret session are imploring the British Government to see that all the Quislings in Britain are muzzled. But what of those in New Zealand? Should it be our destiny to suffer a fate similar to that of Denmark, I, like thousands of other British citizens, have no doubt that some of the aliens in our midst would be well prepared to take over the, Town Hall, and interpreters would naturally be in brisk demand. If, as I do not doubt, this conflict is a desperate straggle for freedom and the position is as serious as the British Government asks.us to believe, it would seem that the time is ripe for the muzzling of the Quislings in this land, be they British-born, or alien. It seems farcical that the young men of New Zealand should be implored to go to distant lands, possibly never to return, in order to maintain security for the aliens who have flocked into pur country. If alien refugees are genuine in their hatred of Hitlerism, a great opportunity now offers for _ them to exert themselves in destroying it.—l am, etc., GIUBERTIAN.