"GERMANY AND THE PACIFIC."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16205, 15 April 1916, Page 9

"GERMANY AND THE PACIFIC."

Sir,— was a very painful surprise for me, son of late Mr. 'C. Coppenrath and a soldier in the F-ench Army, to read in tho New Zealand Hkrald of January 21 .an article entitled " Germany and the Pacific" accusing my father of having served the plans of Germany to secure domination in Tahiti by land-purchasing in connivance with one Herr Schujtz. One wonders how any gentleman in Melbourne or anywhere might have said such a. tale to the Melbourne Age, when tho falsity of it is so evident. »-

My father never met Hcrr Schtiltz, for the simple reason that he was dead when the said Heir Scbultz came to Tahiti, mv father having died in October, 1906, and Herr Schnltz having arrived in April or May, 1907. The few pieces of property that my father had acquired in the course and for the necessities of his,business lifa in Tahiti were hardly sufficient to pay off his debts when they were sold after his death for that purpose, and long before, when he was endeavouring to compromise with his creditors, who were mostly French, British, and American, lie had offered to give them those properties in payment. No better proof can bo given, I think, of the private character of his affairs. I will add that my father had been naturalised French in 1904, and always taught his children, of whom four boys are serving under the French colours, the best sentiments of allegiance to France. I sincerely hope thai ilie Ni:w Zkai.WD HiSIALI) will not soil any more with such tales the name of a family entirely devoted to France, and if you think that it is not too late to give a rectification of the article above mentioned, I trust you to do it. ('. Coi'l'ESttATTT.

Papeete. March 10, 1916.

[The article in question originally appeared in and was credited to tho Melbourne Age.—Editor Hkkald.]