ANTI-GERMAN AGITATION.

North Otago Times, Volume CVI, Issue 13983, 20 November 1917, Page 8

ANTI-GERMAN AGITATION.

SYBNE y ; pcobor'zit.-- : I' Australia!) Anti-Germnn leagiu? obviously lina .more support in the genoral,community'than nifty have beon, :The public, demons i|'Siipuiimistnk!ible Thj? - Lord Mayor (Aldermaif Meag-' lirtd. caiicrt; rt'-meeting to be: held £■/ at the Town Ilall, in responso to ft resigned by a.uUmbcr of :citi7.CHS,- and presented l)y the Australian Anti-German League. - The meeting' was' oai]od for and ; v tlio \vestibulo at the entrance to the v main hall was set aside.'for it By II o'clock this was crowded,, and ladies \ formed a considerable proportion of 'F the audience. ; aboiit.the big halll" called • Out a gentleman. • ; are endeavouring to arrange for : it," said Mr Weller, the .chairman - of' the league. "Don't Argue" "Arrange! Don't- argue. In we go," ;■ 1 said some one. } . A spontaneous, jnovc began, to the -hall. , '• • Mr Baker (secretary of the leaguo) mounted the platform and said: "Ladies and gentlemen—t beg-you not to go." l . . \ A voice: It is ours, and there are no ■ ; Germans hero. Mr Baker: The main hall has been • got ready for the meeting of the Ship- ; v wreck Relief Society, and all their . pamphlets are on the chairs. ■ ■ A Voice: Yes, and a thousand people -arei-waiting in there now. , ' Mr Baker: The Lord Mayor reluct' antly. says that we' cau't the big hall. ' A Returned Soldier: Let us take it. A Lady: My husband is at tlio bottom of the sea. Am I going to stand because there is no room for me here? Hush to Big Hall. : : Accommodation had been promised ■ for returned soldiers, but all seats were occupied by civilians. ' Soldiers, standiug, urged the people to move to the big hall. Mr AVellcr begged them to stay in the vestibule. ' At that time—3.2s there were more people in the main hall than there were in the vestibule. . A cheer was given for a who limped in on crutches. > Mr Weller had scarcely told the peo- ' pie that the Lord Mayor was doing his best to get the big hall when . the "word'';came that the main lialj could be used, In a couple of minutes the floor of, the hall was crowded, and the galleries were well filled. Several returned soldiers ascended the platform to the accompaniment of rousing applause, A Fair Barometer. The Lord Mayor explained that the meeting was called for the vestibule, ■ beyond which his control that day-did not extend. He considered the object for which the meeting was called had been too long delayed. (Applause.) As an indication and ;a fair barometer of v public feeling the vestibule had proved too small. Mr Nosliitt (town clerk) read several apologies. Among them was 'one from the Acting Premier, who said that ho was unable to get 'away from a deputation, The movement had his sympathy, ; and last Friday, at a public meeting, lie had brought, the matter under the notice of the Minister, for Defence. i . Sleeping Sickness. The Lord-Mayor said they were all ; ; alive .to the deadly significance of the great struggle now going forward. A microbe of sleeping sickness seemed to have affected some parts of the Em- . pire. They had not met in any panic spirit. If the league extended its scope so as to make it-a "national vigilance committee it would be bettor, for gold cr/n buy men outside those of German birth. A motion to take everybody of German birth and intern them was open to a good deal of - argument. Some of the aliens, the speaker said, ■; - came here when they were two or three years ( of age and had reared children. Cries of "Shame" When the looked around to see what was done elsewhere, they saw that some , men of undoubted' German origin had bceu appointed to the Privy Council, and when their positions had been chal- . longed.the English law courts had upheld them. (Voices: "Shame!") When 4 they allowed German's in the very ar--7 cana in England, could they wonder if :l there were loose views in Australia? Yet * they knew that great damage was done : ,by the enemy in our midst. The man who put a bomb on board a vessel, which was sunk in consequence, carrying down with it food that our troops needed, did as much harm as though he had caused the loss of a battalion , .'of men. (Cheers.) Tliev met to-day in. a'spirit of self-preservation, and those who would not protect themselves deserved to jjerish. (Applause,) The' following resolution was also moved:— That— s i- , (a) All efforts should be made to 'strengthen the hands of the author!tie.s in the task of combating the acti|by ..rities of enemy agents in our midst, l||- (b) An active campaign should be If.'.-v undertaken by-all loyal citizens to. de- . strov all opportunities for Germans, gv and. otherenemies or their tools or $" sympathisers' iij.-Australia, to injiire ; British or Allied interests during the' 3. That, this meeting appoint- a 'de;'TiHpu|ation to waithipon the' Minister of as^boye.