TALK BY POLISH SCIENTIST

Southland Times, Issue 24048, 12 February 1940, Page 4

TALK BY POLISH SCIENTIST

RETURNED MEN EXPRESS DISAPPROVAL (United Press Association) HASTINGS, February 10. The Waipawa and District Returned Soldiers’ Association unanimously passed the following resolution expressing disapproval of the address given in Napier by Dr A. Reifer, the plant research expert employed by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The Hon. W. E. Barnard presided at a meeting of the Napier branch of the Labour Party, when Dr Reifer, who is a Pole and a Doctor of Science of Brunn University, criticized the British foreign policy, saying Poland was already being oppressed by a regime no better than Hitler. He also alleged that Finland constituted a menace to Soviet Russia, which was only defending itself against the imperialism of the capitalistic States. The resolution reads: “This association deplores the fact that Dr Reifer, who is a civil servant, should be permitted to give public talks which in the opinion of this association are definitely detrimental to the Government recruiting campaign and regrets that Mr Barnard, a returned soldier, should be giving Dr Reifer apparent support.” The association further resolved that the attention of the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin) should be drawn to Dr Reifer’s activities.