The Star. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1917. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12176, 27 November 1917, Page 4

The Star. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1917. EDITORIAL NOTES.

THE SUMMIT ROAD. ;' Mr H. G. Ell's enthusiasm in connection with the Summit Road and the otheT tracks across the Cashmere Hills, which are either in course of construction or which are in contemplation, is, we think, justified, and the value of these assets of the city and province which must be credited to the member for South Christchurch, will inevitably increase a* time goes on. As Mr Ell stated when conversing with a '"Star" reporter last week, a great many residents of the city have no conception of the glorious scenery which lies within walking distance of Christchurch, and we venture to say that many in the city who have passed their whole existence in Canterbury have no idea of the pretty and the charming scenes which are to be found on the Port Hills. There ar© those who firmly believe that the Cashmere Hills are bare and unattractive, that all parts are but replicas of some of those bare portions which can b* viewed from the passing trains; that there is an entire absence of vegetation and native bush, and, in a word, that the hills are barren and forbidding. But how misleading is such a conception ! The hills and valleys have a beauty of their own, and those who have made themselves familiar with the far flung

ramifications of the hills are delighted with what they have seen, and every new excursion to the hills brings forth new beauties. The people of Canterbury, but more particularly of Christchurch, owe a deep debt of gratitude to Mr Ell; to whose persistency must bo placed the credit of opening up the hills for the public From the time he first threw himself into the agitation for the construction of roads across the hills, and for the acquisition of areas of native bush, the member for South C'hristchurch has largely de\-oted himself to the accomplishment of his puiposo, and the success of the scheme must be very largely attributed to him. To future generations the roads and bush clad areas will assuredly stand as an enduring monument \o Mr Ell, and will unquestionably be more highly valued than tablets of brass or marbleIt was fortunate indeed that the city possessed such an enthusiast as Mr Ell to carry the scheme to fruition, a-s had another few years been permitted to pass without action the opportunity would have vanished beyond recall.

THE INTERNMENT QUESTION.

The discussion which took place at the quarterly meeting of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce yesterday regarding the treatment of aliens, when more than one speaker expressed the opinion that the Government had dealt with the whole matter in a weak manner, serves to emphasise the protests which ha,ve appeared in these columns from time to time. Even now, although very late in the day, we hope the Government will awa.ke to its responsibilities in this connection and take steps similar to those which were taken in other countries almost with the discharge of the first gun. True, the proximity of most of the natibns engaged in the war to Germany and her allies make the alien menace greater than an this distant part, hut we must remember that America, as soon as she came into the fight, took effective steps to render the disaffected alien harmless, and large numbers whose loyalty to the land of the Stars and Stripes was doubtful were at once placed under lock and key. The question of the internment of aliens in America was, of course, faced wfith great difficulties, in consequence of the 'l'argo numbers of foreigners who sought a home and freedom in the Great Republic, and there were stumbling blocks in the way which were hard indeed to surmount. The Americans, however, with that business instinct which has been responsible for the rapid advancement of the country, faced the problem boldly, and all those whose loyalty could not be vouched for were forthwith placed under surveillance, with the result that to-day there is scarcely a word of disloyalty spoken between the Atlantic and the Pacific, and the whole nation is working as one man and one people for the accomplishment of a common end. Mr C. H. Hewlett's speech was really an indictment of the Government for its lax methods, and we think his strictures were justified in every sense of the word. Mr Bottrell's remarks, too, are certainly worthy of the serious consideration of the Government.

"We do not mean to infer for one minute that all aliens are 'supporters of German methods. There are in this Dominion many men and women of German birth and parentage who are thoroughly loyal to the flag under which they chose to make their homes; there are thousands in New Zealand who left the Fatherland because they wished to 'lrive under conditions of greater freedom, which could be found only beyond the borders of their native country. There are Germans who dissociate themselves from the happenu'ngs in Germany of the last three years, and who would gladly forget that they belong to a country which has dragged civilisation in the gutter. But there are others. There are those who regard German "civilisation" as the most desirable thing on earth; who consider Gorman methods as approaching perfection nearer than anything known. They are in a minority, but that minority should assuredly be placed under ilook and key, more especially the most influential section, which has power to do mischief. As we said before, there are Germans and Germans, and in this connection we may mention thaifc in some cases local prejudices do injustice to those of the German race who ha.ve shown loyalty to their adopted country greatly exceeding that of some of those who were born and nurtured under the bnion Jack. A case in point was discussed at Ashburton yesterday, when objection was taken to the election of Mr Hugo Friedlander to the chairmanship of the Hospital Board because of his German parentage. Mr Friedlander's protest was a dignified one, and we cannot do better than quote a portion of bis remarks.

He said he did not know -whether he was responsible for what the members had said about, his nationality. He was certainly not responsible himself for the country in ■which ho was born. He had never done anything to forfeit confidence since he had been naturalised, and he had been as loyal and patriotic as anyone had been. In proof of his loyalty he remarked that in a family of four brothers there were nine sons who had gone to the front. One of his brothers had a son who went with tho Main Body. He himself had two sons who were serving, and two other brothers had two sons also nerving with the British. He (Mr Friedlander) was as patriotic as anyone. He was not, going to retire from the positions ho held, as he was not going to give anyone the opportunity to say that he was not a loyal subject. If he was to go down, ha would do 60 with the flag flying.

When we have such abundant proof of loyalty as that shown by the. Friedlander family we can see no cause for drastic action, and we doubt whether such speeches as those delivered at Ash burton yesterday are likely to conciliate others who belong to enemy nations. We have no desire to advocate wholesale internment, but as a precautionary measure the Government should see to it that all those whose loyalty cannot be vouched for and whosa associations are suspicious 6hou'ld he at once placed where they would be unable, even should they wish, to do any harm.