THE JUGO-SLAVS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 55, 28 November 1917, Page 7

THE JUGO-SLAVS

A PROBLEM FOR THE GOVERNMENT

MR ; JOHN CULLEN TO TAKE CHARGE The Government has for some time been considering how best to deal •with tho Jugo-Slavs in the Auckland district. These' men before the war were always called Austrians, but a great many of them, if not all of them, have satisfied tho authorities that they.aro not good subjects of the Austrian Empire, and that they are with the Allies in this fight. Suspicion still rests upon some of them that they are not quite so friendly with the Allies as they would have people believe, and there has been complaint also that they have been, exploiting the war conditions hy demanding very high wages for work done, and that they have been buying up'-.land. This latter complaint has to a certain extent been dropped in consequence of steps taken by the Government to prevent the sale of land to any persons who are not British, but the labour grievance is a real one in Jhft l.orth.

The Government has invited Mr. J; Cullen, lately Commissioner of Police, and for a long time head of the police of the Auckland district, to take charge'of tho organisation of the Jugoslav problem. It is understood that tip policy has been decided upon, at any rate in detail, and that the Government is waiting to discuss things with Mr. Cullen before coming to final corclusions. The. Government is. now accepting for service with tho Expeditionary Force naturalised Jugo-Slavs of whose loyalty there is no doubt, overy case being subject to investigation. J'or the others two alternatives are, open— "that they volunteer for home service at the prescribed rates»of pay, of that they enlist hero for service with the Jugc-Slav army of Serbia, at Serbian rates of pay. payable' by the Government of Serbia. One of the suggestions that has been made on behalf. of the Slays is that they shall bo paid at the New Zealand rates for their service with the Serbian Army,' but that is not being entertained. All that the New Zealand Government is likely to do "is .to give the men an opportunity of going to fight with the men of their own race in' the Serbian Army. It -will probably bo found that most, of the men will prefer home service with the New Zealand Government +o the precarious war service with the Government of Serbia. As to what is to be done, with tho men who will not offer .themselves for any service, that is one of the questions on which the Government may be glad to have" the advice of Mr. Cullen. It lias not been possible to make arrangements with the Jugo-Slavs themselves, because they have no common ideas and ho common leaders with definite common ideas. In the north it is accepted that the Austrians are litigious as among themselves, and not always friendly with one another.