FOCKE RE-INTERNED

NZ Truth, Issue 570, 20 May 1916, Page 2

FOCKE RE-INTERNED

Who Forced the Government's Hand? Are the Imperial Authorities inquisitive? Mr. Vigor Brown's Disclosures. "Truth" is rather surprised that notwithstanding all " that has been said about the Grierson inquiry, the Germans m our midst, etc., etc., no member of Parliament, and Mr. .John Payne, M.P., is no exception, ( has gone Uhe length of ascertaining whether or not it is a fact that the Government of New Zealand has been forced by the Imperial Government to show some activity. If "Truth" is not mistaken,' it made a great discovery, an accidental discovery, during the hearing of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Grierson's case — and that discovery was that Grierson's matter has been the subject of a communication from the Secretary of State ' for Colonial Affairs, and this, too, after it became, known that Mr. John Payne, M.P., on behalf of the Wellington Women's Anti -German League, had adopted the extreme course of ■ COMMUNICATING WITH THE WAR r OFFICE —a terrible, a wrong, and unlawful thing to do, if the Crown Solicitor is any authority on" the point Since the Grierson case (and that case was more or less mixed up with the affairs or individuals of the German Consulate m Wellington), and since Parliament resumed its operations, the name of Focke, the exGerman Consul, of Wellington,, has been bandied about, and the fact that he was interned, and then released, has provided matter for much criticIsm of the. Government by Parliamentarians. Incidentally, it, is recorded or reported that when the members of the Anti-German League invaded the Prime Ministers residence, as a sort of final and despairing effort to prevent the departure of Lieutenant Qrlerson, the 1 Prime Minister rather resented any Teference. of German Consul to ;Focke, but preferred to refer to him ; as "a Wellington merchant." The Government, or perhaps the Minister of Defence, has been attacked all round on its attitude towards the alien enemies' m New Zealand, it being alleged among: other things that there has been a difference m the treatment, that favor has been shown, and- judging from what, is heard everywhere, the National Government is , : - : . ■ " : _- . m pretty; bad odour with the commurilty, particularly as that community is anxiously awaiting the provisions of the Compulsory Service 8i11, .'.t0 learn for itself whether there is any justification for the rumors and the remarks already made In Parliament that class distinctions are going to be made. > ' < ' However, to revert to Focke. Many references to this Individual have been made m Parliament, but it is to Mr, Vigor Brown, the vigorous • "Nabob from Napier" that the New Zealand Government got the hardest knock, because when Mr.- Brown's remarks are studied, the more peculiar does the action of the, authorities beoo.mo. Elsewhere, this issue, "Truth" publishes some, remarks made 1 by Mr. Brown on other matters of grave publio importance, and, incidentally, "Truth" wishes it- could say of all members of Parliament that they have shown the same solicitude for the welfare of the under dog as has Mr. Vigor Brown. In his speech m Parliament, Mr. Brown touched on the Germans m New Zealand, and he ! said: "I want to say a word or two about j Germans. It IS AN EXTRAORDINARY THING j to know that we have Germans, moving J m the highest positions m New Zealand. They are never interfered with. Their influence is everywhere. Their influence is m this House. Their influence is m the Ministry. It is strong, very strongv Why is not that influence interfered with? Why Is it allowed to continue? Why are those Germans allowed to go on, and, through some under-current, this Parliament never take any notice of it? This Is the way m which things are carried on m this country: A firm wanted to buy some disinfectant. They wrote to some Scotch people—a firm called Neill and Co. (Limited)— a firm of very high repute m New Zealand. I have here what I call the degrading letter that this ffrm had to write back again. * This is a letter from Castendyk and Focke, Mr. Fooke was, I understand, the German Consul m Wellington:— Messrs. So-and-So, of Dunedln, have advised us that you wrote them In reference to Pearson's Ly--801, and as we are agents for the North Island for Messrs. Pearson's Antiseptic Company of London, we take the opportunity of quoting you as follows: Thus wo have to go to Germans m Wellington — to the German Consul — to buy English foods. Here is a letter from this firm -showing again the German undercurrent m this House. Now that I have mentioned Mr. Focke I want to refer to HIS RESIDENCE ON SOMES ISLAND. This la what I. have been informed, and it is for those who know more than I do to contradict what I am going to tell the House. Mr. Focko had a contract, I understand, with the Government when war broke out. He could not produce the goods. The Government did not want htm to: they told htm they -would not take them. nnO rightly no. Then he wanted to stop those goods from being landed. lie went to the. uuthorltloa and asked portntHHton to send a cable to prevent tli<> goods being Hhlppcd. The authorities informed him that they could not forward the cable; it was mrulnst the regulations, Quito right. Then Mr. Focko found out that ho had a brother In Honolulu, and he wrote' to his brother and attempted to send a communication to him, which tho Government did not send. Of course, In the ordinary way, a reply should come to the correspondence, and it suddenly dawned upon him that tho brother would reply to the correspondence, and then HE CABLED TO HIS BROTHER not to reply to the correspondence. By some mischance or other tho cable did not reach hts brother, but th© correspondence* arrived her«, and shortly afterwards ho wu» Interned at Somoa Island, Then ha wu« released about a fortnight afterwards. An hon member: Didn't they apolo!(Ihc to him? Mr. Brown: I wax not told that; but he was r«dean<?«l on the uunnmtt»« of two well-known gentlemen In Wolllnirton. Now, wa« that a proper thing to Jo? If it was rlfclit that that man tthouhl be interned orv that Inland, ho should hn,ve l>e«n kept ih«r«. and not rclrufltjU ni nil. How enn iwp ijvntlemen m Welllnmon go guarantee for a Serman? They can guarantee his honsuty or hia sobriety, but how can they guarantee hl« loyally? Nobody could io that. Mr, Vigor Brown, M,l\ tnnkes "«onu>" li»<;lo»uro*», ami what «m»8 to hnvt« impponed i« ihlu: Fook« -wanted to »end i cable to hi* brother In Honolulu adfining him not to correspond with him. rhls cable waii not sent, t'orrwponJ«mico came {or I'ockv, nnd he won m- '

turned, and, as Mr. Brown showed, was next released. So far, mo good. Since Parliament assembled some really nasty things have been said concerning Foeke. and "Truth" would like to think that, a* a result of tho AQITATIQN AGAINST FOCKB. the Government decided that the best thin? whloh could happen would be to again send Fooko back to Some* Island. "Truth" would like to think all this, but It cannot. However, remarkable to relate, on Wednesday evening la«t, Focko wm arrested by the police and onco more that individual's ad drew Is Some* Inland. Now, why was h« arrested? "Truth" ha* endeavored to ascertain from the proper military authorities. The military authorities, In turn, referred "Truth" to tho police, and tho responsible police authorities promptly, politely, but firmly, declined to Rive any Informal Jon beyond ml-, milling Clio fact that Kooke had beou arrestitd. Wlwtt Hlk'iice m than maintained, one can only make conjectur**, and they are that either forc<« of public opinion ha* cau*<>d the Government to revoke Focke's imroh\ or elae lit forma* tion or an o>tler him come from the Imperial nutharitleti to Intern Koeko. if it is tho case that the Imperial authorities havo had to KOHCK TIIK HANDS of the New '/.{>«land .itovoriiineiti. ihfcn, indeed, uro tho poopta of N«w ZfrnlnhU ju#tin>d In tk«el:irli»if Omt even If In thw mkltllr pf v. war, » elmnijp of Government* or a ehamr« at tht? prt*««nt Government* potiey' toward* alien ftnemifra I* «mln<*;»tly d^trublfe-