ENEMY SUBJECTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9075, 21 June 1915, Page 3

ENEMY SUBJECTS

PROFESSOR VON ZEDLITZ’S POSITION VIEWS OF PATRIOTIC SOCIETY’S OFFICERS. A “New Zealand Times” representative interviewed officials of the Patriotic Society yesterday with reference to the following motion passed at a recent executive meeting: “ This meeting is of opinion that .the action of the Council of Victoria College in retaining the services of an unnaturaiised German as one of its professors at a time when the British nation is at death-grips with Germany, and our New Zealand leys are sacrificing their lives in a war which Germany commenced, is an outrage upon British feeling and sentiment, and calls upon the Government to take such action as is necessary to prevent public moneys being used for the payment of alien subjects ”

Mr J. Lewis, the secretary, stated that the executive was determined to see the matter through. It would give the Government an opportunity first, and if this were not taken, the public would decide on what should be done. A public meeting would be called as soon as a reply was received from tho Prime Minister, to whom a copy of tho resolution was being forwarded. The stand taken by tho society, he considered, had received the approval of the Wellington public.

Mr H. G. Hill, the chairman of the society, said that the decision of the Victoria College Council to retain the services of Professor von Zedlitz had caused a lot of comment. He agreed heartily with the resolution of the society. He had settled convictions regarding the whole matter of alien subjects. One of the reasons given by those who desired to ictain the professor’s services was that he had a contract . which should be carried out as long as ho observed certain conditions. He (Mr Hill) would' like to ask those gentlemen whether it was not legal and moral to suspend a contract with an enemy subject. An individual was worth more than a box of butter or a carcase of meat, yet contracts covering these commodities were suspended in time of war. ,

“The position,” continued Mr Hill, “would not be so bad if wo were fighting an honourable enemy, hut when we know of the horrible atrocities committed by Germany, of tbe state of preparedness that country was in as a result of doings as a friend for several years, are we still to hold up to the public gaze the old bogey of British ‘fair play' ? Take the question of poisonous gases. The British have been compelled to retaliate in the use of these contrary to ideas of ‘ British fairplay.’ A great deal has been made of the fact that tho professor has been ‘ among British people nearly all his life,’ but might I ask, if he is so enamoured of <tiio British, why did ho not during al those years take out naturalisation papers? This war has proved beyond a doubt that; the Germans have perfected their spy system under a guise of friendship. X wish to make it perfectly clear that 1 am not making any- insinuations against Professor von Zedlitz. This is not a personal matter, but a matter of principle. I do not wish to imply anything against the professor’s bona fides, but I say, without hesitation, that the death struggle in which wo arc engaged in Europe is so serious that we should not take any risks. “I should like to mention a case that came under my notice. An educated and talented German musician was the conductor o£ the choral society in a country town in New Zealand. , In fact, ho became the leading light in the district. He visited Wellington twice a week ostensibly to teach music.; A few months prior to the war he left the district ‘for a holiday,’ and just after .the outbreak of the war the residents of the district received an English paper stating that Herr ——— (the name of tho musician), of the Secret Intelligence Department of Germany, returned to Berlin, after a sojourn in New Zealand.”

Mr Hill supplied the name of the German and of the town concerned to the “Times” representative. ■ He said that that was not an isolated case. There were similar incidents all over the world, and 'they should not take any risks. A gentleman had walked into his office last week, and, with deep conviction, on his face, said: “ I've got a son at the wrjf, and another enlisting, but I’ll blocn him if I can as long as they keep an unnatnraliscd German at Victoria College.” “ To me,” said Mr Hill, “ all this talk of British ‘ fair play ’ is maudlin sentiment, and the sooner we get down to facts the sooner the war will end. We are up against a scientific, merciless, cruel, and calculating enemy, who will take our ideas of ‘ British fair play’ as a sign - of weakness.” Mr Hill quoted a portion of a letter received from Major Norton, D. 5.0.: “If you people in New Zealand realised for one minute what hell-hounds and monsters these Germans are, 1 guess you would never speak to one of tho same nation again. You are too good to the swine on your side. I am not saying all this because of what I have read in the papers, but from what I have seen in the hospitals here and heard from personal friends who have been eye-witnesses of deeds that a South Sea Islander of a hundred years ago would have shuddered at. I have myself seen men with both hands cut off, eyes gouged out, and atrocities committed on young girls and infants that would have raada Jack the Hippor faint. You cannot • for one moment imagine one-hundredth' part away out there of what we know here. If you did you would not wonder ■ why everyone is willing to sacrifice everything and anything so long as they bring about the speedy end of this diabolical nation”’ THE GERMAN PROFESSOR To the Editor "N.Z Times.” Sir, —As a volunteer, it may be permitted to inquire how far responsible persons in New Zealand are alive to the situation, when seme there are who make the common cause subservient to personal predilection- The Trermaascollectively end individually have established their undisputed- title as champions of all infamy. The more dastardly their conduct, the more : t is applauded from end to end of the country. From pillaged countryside end ravished homes the cry goes up, “How long, 0 God, how long!” • The lelief

■of the world in Christianity is staggered. The writer has a nephew in France reported missing. What horrors of ill treatment and mutilatioi is he certain to undergo. Though forty years of age I hare volunteered myself. My feelings are sufficiently outraged, without being forced to contemplate tho obvious indifference to our sufferings—l speak for all who suffer —as clearly, demonstrated by the action of'some who -tay at homo in case. —I am, etc., A VOLUNTEER.

COLLEGE COUNCILLORS AND MINISTERS OF THE CROWN THEIR DUTY TO THE EMPIRE. To tho Editor "N.Z. Times.” Sir,—The Hon. A. L. Herdman as a college councillor is reported to have said ho was satisfied that they were not bound by any duty to tho' Empire to cast Profoesor von Zedlitz out of office. Will he tell us as Minister if in-ivr-suanco of any circular issued during the war' any honourable German gentleman has been debarred from confidential tiupOoy*m€»iit id the ‘Government offices, and if so, whether as "a matter of duty and fair play,” this bar has been ro moved? The Hon.' A. L. Herman is identified with tho council’s proceedings. Tho report revealed that “the written parole of Professor von Zedlitz had been accepted by tho Government,” but this revelation is not complete- Will the Minister reveal all the details of the negotiations and official stepa which preceded the acceptance? What tjio duty of the Victoria College Councillors towards the Empire may be, is undefined, but it may be safely assumed that the duties of Ministers of the Crown in this respect are essentially different and wider. When we reflect that the British Government and tho British, Frenon and Belgian Commissions have denounced and exposed the brutalities and bad faith of tho whole German race and we learn that our soldiers are being brutally mutilated by troops under the orders of German officers, we may exp-cct that a Minister of the Crown may hold that it is incompatible with our duty J -r> .the Umpire and our soldiers that any alien enemy pri oners s' ouli b* employed in the public service in. positions of trust during the war; and we may yet Ihepe that Parliament will thoroughly investigate tills problem and that the dictum of the Victoria College Councillors will not be the last word on'this subject.-! am. ctc ” pATEIOTJune 19th, 1915. SHOULD ALL BE INTERNED ? To the Editor “NiZ. Times.” Sir—On reading your paper of Thursday I was amazed to learn the decision of the Victoria College Council to retain the services of a. German an one of its masters. Even those naturalised should have been interned long ago. and the more smooth-tongued, polished and bland they -were, the less to bo trusted" Do wo expect a half-caste to have no sympathy with the native voce because one parent had been, or is, white. Would any Now Zealander born, no matter how young he happened to ho when he left this country, cease to take an interest in it and its doings? Ut courso not. if bo > wos worth. Ins salt* How many of- oar boys who left everything at a moment’s notice and went with the contingents had ever seen England, or hoped to, but are dying for her sake as well as ours now? .Surely some of tho members of that conned cannot have boys belonging to them at, the Dardanelles ! One member even tells ot a German’s son who went with the expeditionary. force, and on the, very same page of your paper is a statement ot a returned trooper that' the. general °P !n ‘ ion of tho Turks’ preparedness was that it was entirely due to spies. with a trace of German blood , about him should have;been allowed to go; in fact should not have been at liberty. Well done, -Mr Wilson, to bare the courage of your opinions and speak out. -I am, TEOOpEE<s MO THEE.