ARREST OF PAUL HANSEN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13973, 20 April 1916, Page 7

ARREST OF PAUL HANSEN.

(Special to Herald.) AUCKLAND, this day. Yesterday morning the arrest was made of Paul Hanseii; a. loading land agent and ex-Vice Consul for Dvnmark. The arrest was carried out by the police — shortly after Hansens arrival at the office — after time had been allowed for Hansen to make business arrangements. He was quietly removed to (he firry buildings, and taken on the 11.30 boat to JJevonport. l>n arrival at the fort ho wa s handed to the military authorities. Shortly after the arrest the Danish Consul-Genera' m A'cw Zealand (Sir Francis Bell) visited ths office of Messrs Hansen and Co.. and took possession of the papers, and removed the Vice-Consulate. Secrecy was observed by the authorities with regard to the reasons prompting the internment, ,bnt m the absence d? official explanation it can only be surmised that he was arrested m accordance with the general policy of interning 1 all enemy subjects, naturalised or unnaturalised.. The police are not m a position to make a statement, and are acting under orders from Wellington. The warrant for the arrest was received from the capital. Hansen is we"l known as one of the most successful land agents of the city, as ex-manager of the Auckland Tramway Company, a. member of its directorate, and also as director of the Takapnna Tramway and Ferry Company. His parents resided m Schleswig, a Danish province annexed by Prussia, and Austria m 1864, and two yearg later in-, corporated -with Prussia. After the Anstro-Prussian war they removed to Coburg, where Mr Hansen was born, and he is therefore a German subject. His father was a. chaplain to the Danish nayy. During the war between Denmark and Germany he. lived m England, prior to corning to Zealand, ■ and became a, naturalised British subject, and married an Auckland lady. Han .sen has acquired considerable commercial interests* during his fifteen to twenty years' residence 'in Auckland.