ALIENS IN THE NORTH

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3171, 23 August 1917, Page 4

ALIENS IN THE NORTH

OPENINGS IN SERBIAN ARMY. At a recent meeting of tho Kaipara Chamber of Commerce the president, Mr. V 4. Jones, stated that ho had communicated with the Government regarding faculties to enable Croatians to,™lunteer for active service m the Serbian Army. He received an answer from the Minister of Defence to the effect that the Government through leading Skns L tho Dominion 'had mado known the terms on which the Serbian Government was prepared to accept a Slav regiment from New Zealand. Those leaders .had roiwrtcd that there was little possibihty liiha men serving at tho rate of pay offered, ™nd had asked the Government to grant them tlie same rates as were mil l to New Zealand soldiers.' This tho Government had refused to do, and no further action had been taken. Mr. Jones submitted statistics of 'he. Slavs in the Dominion, which no Btated £ere based on the last census, and wero sufficiently correct for all practical purposes. There wero .1105 men fit- to.be dossed as first divisiomsts, 765 of whom wfunnaturalised,.and 340 naturalised. Married men of military ago totalled 310, and married men and others over military ™e 265. Deducting from thel7oo a reasonable allowance for men medically unntttore remained 1300 fit for active serV Mr. Jones moved tho following resolution—"(a) That all unnaturahsed Slays of military age and medically fit should bo called upon to take up service in tho Serbian Army at Serbian rates of paj, they to be transported to a chosen seat of operations by the Government, and that at tho close of the war those desirin<r to return to tho Dominion should bo guaranteed facilities for doing so. and roceivo naturalisation papers if they so , desire " "(b) That remaining naturalised men medically fit for the First.and Second Divisions of .reservists should bo conscriDted for servico in tho Serbian Army, fhcy P to receive similar transport faci .- ties and to receive in addition to .the Serbian rates of pay a pant sußinet to bring their pay into line with 1 at allotted to New Zealand soldiers, together with similar pensions f al lowanc| "(c) That unnaturalised Slavs refusing to comply with tho foregoing condition* b JlfA. n E d- Harding moved! the following am endment:-"That.this chamlvr reconimonds that tho services of all Slavonians h, New Zealand be utilised service by the military authorities at the same rate of-pay as New Zealand soldiers, and suggests that a conference be arranged fu Sand between representative Dalmatians and the military authorities to discuss the matter. . . , The amendment was carried by six \otes to two.