TREATMENT OF ALIENS

Marlborough Express, Volume LII, Issue 83, 12 April 1918, Page 8

TREATMENT OF ALIENS

DISCUSSION BY BLENHEIM

BOROUGH COUNCIL

The Borough Council received last night' ,iVie circular letter issued by the Napier Borough. Council inviting support for resolutions praying the Governor-General to remove from his advisers, any men of enemy blood, and, requesting /the Government to intern ajl purebred Germans and -AusbHi.ir.s without any exception whatever. ' •

The Mayor moved that tho comJtiiunica'tiou be received. He expressed himself .as.not at all favorably impressed with the propositions or the sentiments ef the resolutions. Tho Napier, ideas were, impracticable, and in tiny, cn.se would work out unfairly. He was at one with the Mayor of Wangamii, who thought that the proposals were in part aimed at the Hon. Mr Myers and denounced the attempt to hound down a public man who had proved himself a thoroughly loyal subject. For another thing they would operate with unjustifiable ■harshness against not a few worthy members of our own ' community, who had resided for many years in our midst and had fully earned the right to be respected and trusted. Councillor Gascoigne seconded the motion. He quite agreed with the Mayor. Many men who revelled in such sentiments as those that had come from Napier and who were loudest in demanding the incarceration of aliens were not themselves very good specimens of Britishers. Their motives would not always stand examination.

Councillor Cooke said he1 had known people of German blood all his life, and lie knew them for excellent citizens: Still, we were at war, and he thought there should be some levelling lip in the matter of the treatment ,©£ enemy aliens. The position was that' full-blooded Germans and Aystrifins v/ere exempted; from military serviooj and people whose own flesh' and blood Were at the front were not inclined to indulge in any «illy sentimentalism. ..'■ However, he could not support .'such sweeping methods as: the Napier Borough Council advocated.

Councillor .Curry said he would not support the motion. It would do no harm to put all njen liable to suspicion under lock and key. What' ' had the German Government done ■.during the last three or. four years? It; had not given the British in Germany much consideration. There were good.,Crermans and bad Germans; some■•"<}£ them were alright; but as a natibi]L they were "rotters." Their leaders no- good. Many Germans vrere|iff \ well-paid billets in our Governmeiitjisfervide-si} Were the British so treaty in Germany? Why should pure-biQ-oded Germans go about enjoying- the full benefits of the liberty ,for which our boys were falling at 'the front? He moved an •amendment that. the Council approve ■of the Napier resolutions. Councillor iLeslie seconded the motion. He admired the attitude that Councillor Curry had taken up. Councillor Parker opposed the amendment. There were many good ■colonials with a ''German ancestry, and they could give points to some. Englishmen so far as loyal citizen;ship was concerned. The Hon. Mr Myers; was a long way better than many Englishmen, If a rounding-tip •of people with. German blood was to Tae made, a considerable proportion of the community, including many -good farmers, woujd have to be interfered \ with-—to no;'gpod,: purpose. In several millions would have to be;. seized: There \ were some of ■our o\rn nationality lin this district even) who were much bigger traitors than German residents; there were men who did not want to see Great Britain win, Some Germans ceritainly ought to be interned, and others ought to be required to retire "into private life, but discretion ought to be used, and it was ridiculous to ■ talk of wholesale internment. v

Councillor McKerizie said his sentiment was that the Council ought that really did not come within its rproyip.ee.■;:^ 31i©. Council was mistaken ;ia allowing i&se* to be petered- with ,<So many questions and propositions :- that; did not concern it. < TlieCbuncil did not look after its own affairs :ep well that it could afford to take a hand with the responsibilities of . oblier authorities. By. the way, Councillor ■ Parker would persist in using, the term English. For himself, he had no particular desire to be called English; but he was proud to ;be called a Britisher. He supported the Mayor's motion. Who was in a ( . position to pick out the people who were full-blooded Germans? There was a lot of intermixed blood in the .country. He was partly Scotch, partly '-'Irish, partly Scandinavian, and goodness'knew what other strain. Nofc many of us were as purebred as the Mayor's racehorses (laughter). He did not believe in people from ;■ Germany holding high offices, and thought that the oversight of aliens should be vary careful, but the Napier scheme went too far over the mark. The amendment was lost, being ■ voted for by the mover and seconder only : and the Mayor's motion was ■earned.