ALIENS IN DOMINION

Chronicle (Levin), 31 May 1946, Page 7

ALIENS IN DOMINION

— pres? Association

Servicemen Want Inquiry LONG DEBATE ON QUESTION

By Telegraph

WELLINGTON, May 30. After a long debate in wliicli frank opinions vvere expressed on the alien question, The Dominion Council of the N.Z.R.S.A., at the anuual conferen.ee in Wellington, substituted for a resolution of the 1915 conference and a siinilar remit by Auckland at this conference, which amounted. to a request for the conliscation of alien proyjerty and deportation, a resolution aslcing for an investigation. The resolution adopted was: "(1) That an immediate investigation be niade by the Govemment into businesses established and property acquired by eneniy aliens, including aliens naturalised since Septcmber. 3, 1939, with a view to eliminating from the public mind auy suggestion that the interests of ex-service personnel liave been, are being or may be prejudiced, and if found to be prejudicial lo the rehabilitation of discharged servicemen, legislation be requested to obviate the position. "(2) That the Government having intimated some months ago that it is consideriug a policy in rcgard to enemy aliens, an urgent request be made for an announcement of .that policy." The Auckland remit which was ref'erred to open council for discussion by a sub-committee, and which was rep'laced with the mover's permission with the above resolution, read: "That remit 51 passed at the Dominion Council meeting of 1915, be reaffirmed. That resolution is as follows: 'Any person or jiersons who arrived in New Zealand t'roin Germany, Austria, Ilungary, Rumaiiia, Dulgaria, Japan and Italy since .lanuary I, 1939, must return to thcir own countries within two years after hostilities cease with Germany and that tliey be allowed to take out of New Zealand the same amount of money or properlv, or both, that thcy declarcd to Ihe Customs Department wlien entering New Zealand; any further money or property that thcy may possess to be : sold and the proceeds be handed to the j New Zealand Government for distrilmtiou among the poor of deceascd service jiersonnel who fought to free thoir respective countries whilc tliey, the aliens, enjoved peace arid plenty in New i Zealand '. ' ' i The Auckland remit was not an at- | tempt at auti-iSemitism, said Mr. A. D. j Guuji (Aucldand). He liacl b'een eliallenged in the suli-committeo stage with making wikl statements and he liad undertaken to get evidence from Auckland within 21 hours substantiating his statements. Jle had rcceived this evidence by telegram and had also been acquuinted with a case which occurred right under the nose of the Dominion executive connnittee. An alien had bought a store and post office at a beach near Wellington. The spcakcr had been inforincd by a Post Office

I official that when applying for a permit / to run the post office, this alien could hardly speak English. ; Neverthcless, the alien got the permit. The alien also ovvned three stores in a Wellington suburb. The telegram from' Auckland referred to a German refugee. who bought a store off a man who was going overseas, acquired three others and tried to obtain another. A Jewish deputation in Auckland told the R.S.A. that the businesses were bought for the alien woman's three brothers in the R.A.F. but these businesses had been sold and the woman was now running a frock shop. Another refugee. pur- . chas'ed cohsiderable* property but the Jewish deputation disowned hiln. Another- refuges :and wife . -owned four properties worth £5000 and the husband . had a taxi licence which he refused to transfer to a . returhed soldier. The Jewish deputation said that'in so refus- • ing this man was acting within his legal rights. Another refugee concern in Auckland had purchased the whole of a city building. , In all, since 1911, 511 applieations iiad been reccived from aliens in Auckland to purcliase property of which 106 had been grauted. Among these were- 65 farin properties valued at £152,517,, 276 house properties valued at £312,556, 'and 65 business properties valued at £111,773. In th'e period 1912-16 they had purchesed in all £579,816 worth of properties. It would cost more than the Auckland R.S.A. could alford to search the records but if the Dominion R.W.A. would bear the expcnse Auckland would undertalcc to expose the big footing aliens had obtained in Auckland. The Auckland R.S.A. realised in framing the remit, that it was drastic but it was not prepared to budge an inch. Rev. G: S. Lcggitt (Opotiki) urged care. He formed tnc impression at the sub-committee meeting that jnost of its members thought dilferently. from the remit. They had been told at the start of the wai- that they had no quarrel with the common body oi' imople in socalled enemy countries but with the ideologies of those countries which they fought. New Zealand had offered asyium to persons who had resisted those ideologies but now tiic remit proposcd that they should be kicked out. 'Mr. J. I. Gohlsmith, a membcr of Ihe Dominion cxccutive, referring to the 1915 conference resolution, , said that if he had been prcsent then he would havc protestcd and perhaps saved the R.S.A. the criticism lcvclled. against it in the newspapcrs. New Zealand and overseas rellablc but unofficial figures he had showed thcre wero 1018 adult ret'ugces admittcd to New Zealand since 1931. Of those roughly half were Gcrmans, 217 Austrians, 122 (Jzechs and the rest mainly Poles and Ilungarians, Of all 592 were engaged in fulltime occupations, a great majority earning .under ; £500 a year, and 251 were married women. He believed 38 refugees had set up busiffcsses or industries which . employ.ed sometliing like.320 New Zealandcrs, seven of the iudustries being new to tlre Dominion. Mr. J. D. Gerard (Whangarei) said the remit would be a grieyous thing if carried, for those it alfected but it would be mueh more serious for the N.Z.R.S.A. They woiild eain the-respect of the country if, -after' i-M csjreful mvqstightiori, iflieymad'c s,dch' tfdih'hiids'as vvere reasonably jus^iiiCd.'" ' , Mr. C. Miln, a membcr 6f the Donliniqn executive c.ohimittco aua chairman of 'the sub-comniittee which lirst considered the remit, said he had aslted Auckland to produ.ee evidence iu support of that contaihed in the telegram. Hovvcver, they had failed' to show where the a c ti v i t ies -.r ef e r r e d to intcrfored with the rehabjlitatidn oi roturncd nien. Thc aggrcgate value oi Ihe property acquired was less than oue por cent. of thc total acreage and value of the properties trausferrcd in ihe particular period. The Auckland. infonnation justified an . investigation but thc remit proposed a good deal more. It was Fascist, deinanding conliscation and deportation and a repctition of the oppression whicli caused the people to seek sanctuary in- New Zealand. Mr C. O. Bell, Dominion vicoprcsidcnt, said thcre were rcquests from numorous branches after thc 1910 resolution that nothing ,.bc donc iu ns implcmentation. Mr. Gunn, in reply, said it was a great pity the Jewish issue had been raised. It might be that 95 per cent. of aliens were.Jews but the remit was not ainied a-t thom as sucli. It was au atlempt to combat a largely growing group which was taking coiitrol. 11 things wcnt on as they were those people would lia-ve a bigger say than they should. New Zealand would liavp no democraey if tlie preseut movement contiuued. Auckland wanted to see sometliing donc. If the Governmeni was holding up things they should camp on the steps of Parliament until an auswer was givon. A uumber of these persoJis had fought against the Diggers in 1911-18 and if - another war broke out they would fight against diggers ' sons if they had a chance. Tliere was no doubt about that. Mr. Hell, chairman of Ihe conference. read a letter from Federated Farmers asking that the R.>S.A. Dominion executive cooperate with its Dominion cxccutive in requesting the Govcrn jueut to prohibit further land purchases by aliens until rehabilitation had been completed. The fedcration statcd aliens had been permitted to- acquire 60 i'arms bctween 1912 and 1946, * - . Mr. Bell, in.putting the amendment, said lie hoped no delegate would . be iuiiueiiccd by public opinion if . he iionestly thought he was on the right lines. • Tlie. Government had advised it would supply certain int'ormati'on asked for by the Dominion executive. . Tliere vvere few .dissentieuts to the amendment to the Auckland remit. This amendment- was put by Mr. Miln and with the permis'sion Of Mr. Gunn became the motion. These remits were withdrawn: " That • the absorption of aliens in businesses be so controlled as not to prejudiee the complete rehabilitation of ex-service-men. ' 1 "That an investigation be set up by the Government into businesses set up and property acquired by aliens since 1939 and a dehnite statement made by them as to whether returned seryicemen liave or have not been prejudiced by these purehases."