VON ZEDLITZ CASE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2769, 12 May 1916, Page 7

VON ZEDLITZ CASE

; COLLEGE COUNCIL CONDEMNED ' A BRIEF; DISCUSSION. Mr, JOHN PAYNE (Grey Lynti) spoke ~ to the motion to introduce his Von'Zedlitz Grant '.Restitution-Bill, explaining that tho object 'of,'the. Bill directed the , Attfimey-General to : recover either . from . Professor Vbn.Zwllitz or' i from : the members ,of the Victoria College Council; .the sum of £700 paid to Professor Von Zed-' ; litz on . his retirement. .He declared that there .was a deplorable pro-German sehti.prent ;iV this■ country,' most /manifested .amongst the extreme. SooialisU and; the wealthy,. He- condemned' roundly. the : "sloppy sentiment" 'and" : t]ie "un-British feeling" which prompted" -the' College Council ,to- make the grant- to Professor Von 'Zedlitz. . • % ...: .

•= Mr/ C. H. POOLE (Auckland Wost)'*»id that the. LCollege. Council had in .e/fect defied; Parliament' by.f paying to Professor Von .Zedlitz aoyear's salary of .in definaned' of-,,'tlie' expressed wish. of'-'Par-liament vi■ V; •.

. Mr. M'Callum s The. Act empowered it. . Mr. Poole insisted that the act of the Council was'one of the most extraordinary violations'of the spirit'of the law he. . had ever known. He hoped , the Government would-take this, ilito consideration when the: grant to' the -college for this year was being assessed. • '• . '-■- Dr. H. T. '.J: THACKER (Christchurch "East) said' there was; a'good" deal ~ of squeamish sentimentality in our '.treatment of Huns in this country, and a good'deal df differentiation in. the treatment of them. Ho accused the Minister 1 of Defence of. differentiating between the ! so-called better class Germans at-Motuilii . and the poorer Germans'at Somes Island. It would be much better if they were all .herded together in the same way as 'our people were herded in camps in' Germany. Tllie Right Hon. W-. I',.MASSEY (Prime Minister) said die would not have spoken to the Bill, vb'ut that lie., desired to re-, move an iiuprfesion likely to be conveyed by the member for Christchiirch Bast. The honourable member blamed the Defence Minister, for differentiation in tlie treatment of prisoners; at Jfttuihi and Somes Island. .-The Defence Minister had nothing to do with; this. ! Mi - .. Allen had merely to carry out the instruct ions conveyed to him by-:the Imperial authorities. When the prisoners were being conveyed to New Zealand, from Samoa after the occupation the New.'Zealand Government was given definite instructions that the, prisoners of officjal character were to. be interned in .one: place and the ordinary prisoners in another. In 'terms of that instruction the ''Governor and 'the Chief Justice were placed at Motuihi and the others at Somes '.Island.

■Mr. Fletcher: There ought.to lie more of them there.

Mr. Massey: Quite likely. . Anil I am not sure that there ought not to be spme people ' there" who ! don't go under tho name of Germans. Mr. -Massey ■ added that in accordance: with the requests of the Central. Powers the representative of America; in this country had . been visiting internment 'camps, and had given the Government to believe he . was perfectly'satisfied with .what'was'being done. Mr. Wilford: I should think he would be! ■

Mr. T. M. WILFOBD (Lower ' Hutt) 6aid he would not have risen if the Prime Minister had not brought out the good old answer of "Imperial instructions." A newspaper recently asked if it would not be well to see. these instructions. Sir.. Massey: Would you like them to be laid on the table of the House f Mr. Wilford suggested that the feeling which was growing in the country could be answered if Ministers gave tlie country more of its. confidence and issued the text of its instructions. 'The rank and file was loyal, but he pleaded for more generosity 011 the part ;of the- Cabinet in the issuance of;--Imperial instructions. Ihat would go.;a'great-way. toward lessening debate , and producing that confidence which all desired to see. The Bill was read a first time, A ROOT AND BRANCH BILL. Mr. J. PAYNE, moving the introduction of the War Exigencies and Empire Preservation Bill, 'suggested various amendments in the Constitution' and in Parliamentary procedure to give • more power to private members of Parliament lie declared that Ministers had all the power, and members acquiesced in this allowing those who excelled at "crawling round and pushing their bar/ow" to become Ministers. Hp declared that ho would not lie a chair-iwarmer, and that unless things were improved- iii' this'particular lie would ■ resign. • One of his ideas was that he or any other member of Parliament should be able to go into the Defence Department and; see for himself the truth about the alleged woeful waste that was going on there. He spoke, also, of tho Grierson case, declaring that it was not yet positively proved that Grierson was not' a German or of German descent. In any case, a man of such pronounced pro-German sentiments ought not to go to the front .with the New Zealand forces. When a deputation of ladies went to interview the Prime Minister on the subject, they referred to Focke as. German Consul. Mr. Massey replied 'He is a New Zealand merchant." That was the Prime Minister's attitude. Did he deny that? Mr. Massey: I will say that tho report of that deputation that was. supplied to the newspapers was a tissuo of falsehoods. Mr. Payne: Do the ladies of the deputation tell falsehoods? Do you say that? Are they all liars? . . Mr. Speaker: Order! ' Address tho Chair. - ■ t ,' Mr. Paj-ne went on to speak of a host of cases of alleged Germans in the servico of New Zealand, seme in the Defence Service, ne declared that .the Germans here were a very serious menace. It was time that tho Defence .Minister was

deposed from office; and that that "probermau Irishman Gibbon" be deposed trom office. Mr.- Payne said very little about his Bill, but apparently the chief idea of it was that members of P.arliiu juent should have more power ia the con* troli of the country's affairs, now regulated lw\ Ministers. . Hie Bill.was read a first-time. ON HI<3H~RINTS. v. Mr. J. PAYNE introduced tho Rent Bill, explaining that the object of it was to prevent the raising of rents by avaricious landlords in war time. v Sir- A.-H. -HINDMAESH (Wellington bouth) said he represented a district which had suffered by the increases of rents consequent upon the influs of people to.. Wellington since tho training camps were established near Wellington. He would ask the Prime Minister to do something. The Imperial Parliament had-passed a; statute to deal with the problem, and he thought the New Zea-land-Government might with safety do so.. Mr. Massey; You will get it before tho, end of. the session.

Mr. Hinduiarsh expressed satisfaction with this promise. . He pointed out that nil that was necessary was a small measure, very simple, and very easy to draw. Similar, legislation had been in force in Ireland and in parts of Scotland for many years.

Mr. T.. M. WILFORD (Hutt) said he .would support any, measure to prevent injustice being clone to poor people. He blamed the Government for giving no inkling in the Governor's Speech of the legislation coming down. One result of this :was that three private members had given .notice of Rent Bills.

Mr: C; lI.'POOLE (Auckland West) also approved of-the introduction of a Eent Bill. 'The policy of centralisation in Wellington' was largely responsible for the position at present obtaining in' Wellington, where there .were noKv thousands of people literally, at their wits' end to make ends' meet.

.WITTY-' (Riccartbn) urged the Prime: Minister to .get up. and make a statement tlmt a ' Rent Bill would be brought down by the Government. '■■Mr..Mflssey.said'he had. already said that a- Government Bill would be biwht' down. . °

Other .speakers in the debate. were Mr. A,:E. Glover, Mr. P. C. Webb, Mr. J. y Brown, and Dr. .Thacker.

' The Bill was introduced and road a first time.

j' FOR BLIND PERSONS, j Jk: l; PAYNE moved to introduce th« Blind Persons.. Assistance. Bill, the objectlot .winch, he said, was to provide for the grant of free" railway passes to blihd"persons. It was true noiv tlat the railways gave a free pass. to a blind person provided he was accompanied by an attend!+ws u a it Jl 34 ' 1°, 0b Purchased for the. attendant. The Bill v.-ould provide for free passes not only on railways but on.,steamers. ;;

ti The Bill was introduced' and.re«id.a 'first

REGISTRATION OF NURSES. _ Mr. PAYNE_ moved -introduce " the Unregistered Nurses' Registration Bill. He said that the Bill proposed to allow an.-opportunity to nurses who were entitled to be-registered in 1901 and 1902 but who did not take advantage of the onportiinity 'their afforded them! to register 5 ,10 n ( lt 3 ' f' 1 ? 11 he was Minister of Pubbe.Health- had promised to take up the Bill last session, but the present Minister of Public Health had expressed himself' as-.opposed 'to the idea. The Bill was introduced and read a first time. , - STATE BANK. c , 31 , r - l\ FAYNE moved to introduce the State Bank Bill, stating his well-known opinions on banking as a'State enterprise.-.; , • ■ The Bill was' introduced and read a first time. f FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. 'Jlr. J. PAYNE moved to introduce the Venereal Diseases Bill. One of the provisions was that only medical practitioners should.be allowed to treat persons suffering from these diseases, and another was tliat free treatment should be available in the;hospitals for such patients.- • The Bill was read a first time. ; A LOCAL BILL. The Wanganui Borough Council Street Access Empowering Amendment Bill (Mr. Veitch) was introduced and read a first time. .GOVERNMENT BILLS. The Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Amendment Hill nnd AVflr Pensions Amendment Bill were introduced by Gov-ernor's-Message: and re-id a first time..