GERMANS IN NEW ZEALAND

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2323, 3 December 1914, Page 5

GERMANS IN NEW ZEALAND

THEIR POSITION DEFINED ! STEPS; GOVERNMENT HAS - ! .TAKEN ...„ i 'Ah elector at ilie Hon. A. L. Herd- 1 ' ; man's meeting last evening asked if-the' 1 Government would; protect naturalised' British subjects ot an enemy race - against victimisation. ; In tie. reply, Mr. Herdman gave air't ' interesting statement of the' position oi' ' enemy subjects in New Zealand. -Ha ■: aafid that people who went about tlieij ; business in a proper "manner would'not.. ■! interfered with, but anyone who ex-', pressed hini6elf disloyal to the King! or did anything inimical to the interests' ■ ..; ot Great Britain would bo' interfered • mth. Immediately upon the, outbreak . of war an entirely new position as re-; garded enemy subjects arose in the/ Dominion. Enemy subjects had to bd treated' in accordance with the principles of international law. That mean)? ' that so long as an enemy subject behaved himself he was entitled .to go about his worlc in.- the ordinary ;way. Anyone who made himself a nuisance or expressed himself disloyally would be taken charge of afonce. At present" we had about 200 "prisoners of war in' . Mew Zealand, and steps had been taken' to ensure that every, enemy subject in the country should report himself to' ' ■ ' the Police, and should not be allowed to move about from one part of the' country to another without a permit from the Police. . ........ Some time ago the Publio Service-. Commissioner had requested an intiniaM tion from the .Government on the sub-', ject of aliens iii, the Publio Service,' and the. following direction had been; given him: ■ • . ■ 1. All Germans not naturalised are te be removed from all forms of public* service. 2. All Germans naturalised British.' subjects are to be suspended'unless you are satisfied that such persons are ab« solutely loyal. Careful inquiry is to - be. made in each case. / 3. All Austrians, except Serbs vano? Croats, are to be similarly treated,. ;„ ■ ._ 4. If there is any question,, or. doubt, , in any case cf a naturalised German, or Austrian, the person must be suspended, until further inquiry is made. Ho canv > not have the benefit of the doubt. j 5. The same rule is to apply to anjf Turkish subject.,'(e.g., .Syrians)-if anj;, . are in the public service. . '; G. Subjects of other foreign nations need uqt.be disturbed unless'you-hava reason to suepect them. •■ .: 7. Tlio rules are to apply • to alt branches, manual and clerical.' ' ' 1 8. Tim .above is a. matter, of Govern* ment policy, and, also,- of, war provi« sio'n. stated for your guidance. ' Mr. Herdman added that the preseafi rules, governing the position'were ap-*. >.' plied during the war between Russia; and Japan, and that one had' to go back,' ■ to the days of Napoleon for instances of the wholesale imprisonment of peo* pie in an enemy country. During the .Napoleonic wars British subjects in' France were held prisoners for seven oi • " eight years.