BOYCOTTING THE HUNS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2798, 16 June 1916, Page 5

BOYCOTTING THE HUNS

"ALL-FOE-IiMPIRE" LEAGUE I'OBMED. The /movement: recently set going in [Wellington to." promote trading' iu Imperial goods aii<l to boycott articles made in enemy countries took concrete shape last night, when the "All-for-Empire" (League was formally constituted, at a meeting held in the Chamber of .Comnierco rooms. ..There was a fair attendance, including a number of ladies. Mr.'F. W. Manton,-who. presided, read k report of work done by the committee set up to inaugurate the movement. It 'twas impossible, he said, to overestimate the importance of such a league. The attitude of certain neutral nations was not satisfactory. They were the tools of Germany. Tie noutrals would; suffer •very ; much if. an' inconclueivd peace were. made.' The league ;'dould' too: •high;, and niust ; aim high .to bo successful. Some peoplo thought-that German trade could only be eliminated by means of a tariff, but he. was confident that it could be done by the national spirit of the people and the spread of practical patriotism. Personally 'lie had no.time for the man who said they could not do ■without Germany. 'The Empire had shown What it could do in the last two years, and he hoped they would go on in the same'way for-, all time. Mr. E. A. James said that the objects of the league were pretty well defined in tho leaflets and literature issued' by tlie league, to inculcate tho need for supporting first of all New Zealand-made goods, and after tliat goods,.made within the British Empire or in. the countries of the Allies. -He liad held the idea un-' 'til.recently that Germany was a .very religious country, but he had come 'to the conclusion that it was it degraded nation. ■ They could not afford to trust Germans in • the future. They had been living in a fool's paradise. The Germans who were hospitably received within tho Empire had spied and lied and showed base ingratitude, to ""these who .'had. given :them protection. If it could only be burnt into the 'minds'of' the people tliat tho money spent on German goods was being used against the Empire, it would be productive of good.' ,I'Jiey should instil into the minds of the children the principle of doing their duty by their own country. The citizens of the Dominion should be shown the of not trading with the Germans, who envied: the British people their place in the sun. For years before the war Belgium had • been overrun by German commercial agents and clerks, who obtairicd' great influence, and were the means of introducing; German capital into Antwerp, winch. became practically ( a'.German; colony. The, war t had shown the perfidy of Germans in suoli a light that it would'.'be criminal-if they failed to take steps to keep Germany under'in the future. The question of German citizenship should'- be dealt with immediately. Germans should be refused citizenship, and not alloyed to hold land. He hoped the league would help them to surmount difficulties, many of which, unfortunately, had been of their own making. ■ The election of officers resulted as follows ;-Patrons, the Premier (Hon. W. F. Massey) and , Sir Joseph Ward: hon. president, the Mayor'of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke); vice-presidents. Hon. W. H.. Herries, Hon. It, M'Nab, and Mr. Harold Bcauchamp; committee, Dr. A. K. Newman, M.P., Messrs. T M. .Wilford; M.P., ft. A. Wright M.P., W •Allan, W. J. Bridson, W. 'S. Bennett, J. W. Bridge, Xl. A. Carr. A. .T. Carlton, D. A. Ewen, W. Foster. E. F. Had-' field, J. G. Harkness, A! It. His ' i°P>, Holnlay, E. W. Hunt. S. : Jacobs, E. A. James, C. M. I.uke J. Macintosh, F. W. Manton, M. Myers, C. B. Morison, I*. J. Nathan, E: A.'Phelpsj C. Ituslibroolc, James' Smith, It. w' Waterhouse, T. S. Weston, William' Reid, li. d. Reid, James. Leuchars. On the motion of Jlr. Manton, it was resolved that the ladies present should form a combined committee with tftf foregoing, with power to add to the number.