WHAT ATTITUDE?

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2841, 4 August 1916, Page 6

WHAT ATTITUDE?

HOW TO DEAL WITH GERMANS

LECTURE BY LADY STOUT

Last evening Lady Stout delivered a locturo in tho jllunicipal Concert Chamber on questions relative to our attitude toward the Germans. Miss Holmes (chairwoman of the Anti-Germun Leajnie) presided.

.Lady Stout said that the Anti-German League in Wellington was a woman's league, and there never had been a man connected with it. The league had had certain experience, but tue executive had now been re-arraiifjvd, with Miss •Holmes at the head, anu would conduct business on ?>aiic li:u*. There was no personal, animositv or desire for vengeance against the' Germans, but they wished to secure the sai'uLv c f tfie boys who were fighting our battles. New /ealanders were not ti>e first to start a league for the protection of their conntry against Germany; there was already a leaguo in England. The New Zealand League was for protecling our men who went to the front, to get Germans out ot the Army, and out of the Civil bervice, or position of trust. It asked the women of New Zealand to ban German goods, and give preference to British goods. Thoy found that there seemed to be a certain amount of Government protection for Germans. She had got a long list of names of persons engaged in the General Post Office, and there should be no persons there who had a danger of having leanings toward Germany. Our chief wireless station in tho north'was erected by a German, who returned to Germany after doing the work, and lie knew more about our wireless than anyone else. Two of the Gorman Consuls in New Zealand had not been interned, and a Consul's work was to give his country all the information lie could. Trade was still going on with Germauy, and she knew' lor a iact .that the author of a book, who sent the matter to Germany before tho _ war ■to be printed, was now r ece £i™,ff copies of his books regularly. In Wellington a widow had been ordered away from a troop-train by a German m our Polico Force, who told her he was tired of women with dead sons." ' Inquiry was boing made in that ease. No doubt there was German influence at tho bottom of New Zealand strikes on steamers, in South Island fires, stores for troops and 1000 uniforms had been destroyed. Tho Itua trouble was caused by Germany. Tho supervision of the prisoners interned hero was lax. Also, prisoners were given holidays. Tho prisoners in the gaols were not given holidays, so why should our enemies get them? If wo allowed German trade to go on as usual, wo would deserve the tortures' of IJante's Inferno. Why wero we in NewZealand running risks? Because of tho moral shirker. She would press-gang the men from the racecourse into Trenthani. There was no need for farmers to stay behind; tho women were capable of doing tho work. She lioped that a strong league would be built up (and that pressure would be brought on 1 Parliament) because of the apathy of tho public. On the motion of Miss Hyams, seconded by Mrs. M'Vicar, it was resolved: "That this meeting respectfully requests the Prime Minister to have legislation immediately passed to prevent any naturalised British subject of enemy parentage from holding or being appointed to the position of member of, any branch of the Legislature, council of any local authority, or the Civil Service, or the Reserves or the Expeditionary Force." Mr. Stevenson moved, and Miss "Wilson seconded:. "That this meeting views with alarm the amount of German duplicity carried on throughout the British Empire, and urges the Government to take stronger measures when dealing with the question of interning Germans in this Dominion." The motion was carried. Votes of thanks were passed to Miss Holmes for presiding, to the City Council for the Council Chamber, to Mr. Knight for the use of flags, to the Bristol Piano Company for the use of a piano, and to Miss Gawler, who presided at the piano during the evening.