ALIENS COMMISSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16282, 15 July 1916, Page 9

ALIENS COMMISSION.

SITTING AT DARGAVILLE.

SLAVS GIVE EVIDENCE.

REFUSAL TO SERVE AUSTRIA

[BT TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.!

DARGAVILLE. Friday. The Aliens Commission resumed its sitting here this morning.

Constable Newman deposed that lie had inspected all the alien gum camps for tirearms, without finding any. At one ■ amp he. found the Union Jack and the New Zealand Ensign flying in honour of the landing at GaJlipoli. He only knew of one true Austrian in the district. The police had a list of all the alien birthplaces. No official complaint had been received of their being a menace. Dr. William Henry Horton gave evidence. that he had had a wide experience of the aliens. He was satisfied that they were anti-Teutonic, and that the reports of their drilling and arming had arisen from hysterical men.

George Herbert Bellamy, district recruiting officer, stated that the, aliens had offered to form a corps of 2CO men, a.nd he believed -600 could be obtained in -North Auckland for active service. He knew the aliens well, and was satisfied as to their loyalty. The reports of their arming were groundless. further evidence regarding the "cutting ' of road contract prices by aliens was given by<Messrs. Harding and Yankovicb, disproving the charges. Slavs' President's Statement. John Totich, president of the district sub-branch of the London Slavonian Society, said he had resided in the Dominion for 17 years, and was naturalised. He had been a member of the Dargaville Rifle Club for seven years. During the Balkan War in 1912, the Slavs in New Zealand were delighted at the movement to secure freedom for his race. A large Slav meeting was held in Dargaville. when resolutions sympathetic with their race were cabled to England and Russia, and moneys totalling £170 were subscribed to assist the Servians. None of the Slavs reported to the Consul for service, but a large number went to the Consul s office and publicly burned the Austrian tiag. That was the reply of the Slavs to the Austrian Consul's call. Immediately war was declared by England against Germany, the district Slavs assembled and carried resolutions to be telegraphed to the Prime Minister a.nd Mr. J. G. Coates, M.P. In answer thereto, the Prime Minister replied, through Mr. Coates, that he had received through witness an offer of a Slav contingent for active service.

No Disloyal Statements. Witness handed in literature bearing on the Slav movement, which showed that, excluding Montenegro, the movement embraced 13,000,000 people and, including ' all the southern Slav territory, 22,000.000. [ Continuing, witness said the figures j given in evidence yesterday, that there were 1936 male Slavs in the Dominion, ! were correct. If the North Auckland I Slavs were interned at Parengarenga or j Somes Island, they would deeply resent it., las they were anything but disloval, and' , were fully entitled to be trusted". From i a business point of view they objected 1 1° go to the Farenga field. There was no [justification for such internment. He had uiever heard a disloyal statement, and he j had never known the Slavs to utter disi loyal statements. On the contrary, thev regretted they were not better able to assist, the allies. Evidence as to the law-abiding nature of the aliens was given by Thomas Bassett, S. Colmore Williams, and R. E. Hornblow. . Mr. Harding handed in a comprehensive report of the Parengarenga gum- %^ s '. ~w hich contained references to the disabilities of diggers in the locality. Mr. Simon Michel Ujdur, president of the New Zealand branch of the Slavonian Society, sketched the history of the Slavonian movement, which 800 "so-called Anstrians in the Dominion supported. He knew of no disloyal case amongst ail the Slavs. .

Native Land Court Judge Satisfied. Thomas Henry Wilson, Judge of the Native Land Court, stated that he was *amiliar with the conditions in North Auckland. From his observations he was satisfied the aliens had always been lawabiding, and they compared favourably with the British. The chief objection to Austrians in the North was the fact that they held wine licenses, which led to the debauchery of Maori women. At Kaikobe they were very friendly and subscribed generously to the patriotic funds. Mr. Harding drew the attention of the commission to a report in Thursday's Herald of the Parliamentary proceedings, wherein the Austrian question was discussed. He considered the position cruel and detrimental to the North. He suggested that the commission should telegraph to the Prime Minister asking members of Parliament to suspend judgment pending the decision of the commission. Mr. Poynton replied that the subject being sub-judice, the commission could not interfere.

The commission adjourned till to-mor-row, when it will sit at Kaihu, and also visit the gum camps at Aranga. The executive of the Kaipara Chamber of Commerce subsequently met and telegraphed to Mr. Massey ~ asking him to request the House to suspend judgment till the report of the commission was made, as crave injury was being done to the North by the statements of members.