A STRANGE APPEAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 10, 7 October 1919, Page 8

A STRANGE APPEAL

FOR DISTRESSED GERMANS

A QUESTION IN THE HOUSE

'Attention was called in the Houso of !R®&entatives : last niglit; to an appeal th5V is-'beiti® circulated for ■ relief ■of ■persons in Germany, Mr. Ell asked the Prime Minister wheliher he liad seen the appeal, and in'response to an invitation from a member lie read the full text of : tho.^edroiilar: letter by which the appeal is'being madei. The letter set out that the war had caused distress in Germany, especially among the women and children .of the poorer classes. Goods Bpeoially ; asked for .in the letter were milk and.flannel; which could, be sent toGermany rfor distribution. . Mention was inade ofAa looal committee formed in./,We]lii!gtpiy,and the-letter was signed by Mrs. Julia Lutz at a Kilbirnie address, and Miss E. Ingeburg Joosten, of :T(arori.-;< The, goods collected are to bo forwarded to-Mrs. A. Langgiitli, ofAuck- ; land.;? lie.' 'Ell nolnted out that the' Germiini< people; Sad not suffered in tho war anything neatly so grievous as had the •people of France and Belgium. It would corao as, a matter of surprise to tho people of New Zealand to hear that such an appeal was being made, and'it should be; made olear that there were other people with much gTeater claims on the generosity of tlie people of this country than those on whoso behalf fch'e appeal was bein|f' : mnde. Mr. Massey said ho knew nothing 01 the', cironlar, and he did not know anything'about its bona-fide?' or otherwiso. It would, .however, be known to some members of the House that it was impossible to forward. goods to Gormany '■without tho oonsent of "the Minister of Customs, and.he had no doubt that tho Minister of Customs would bo careful in i this. casßijO c.

Mr. P. Fraser asked the Prime Minister whether ho had not learned that there was suffering in Germany, as well as in Franco and Belgium, when ho was in Europe. Mr. Massey said that tho honqurirole member had better givo notice of this • question. lie had to admit that there was-much hardship in Frrincu and Belgium, and possibly in Germanv 'ulso.Tho Hon. G. W. Rnssell. asked whether the Ministor would look into this matter from the'point of view of the . War Fundp Act. Under that Act it would be. impossible to. establish a fund "for".the , relief '~of; porsons in Germany ! without the consent of the Minister of Internal Affairs. . Mr. Massey'said he would do this. "Mr asked more about the suf-'■ferings-of the. Germans.' He asked whe- . ther it; was not a fact that General Plu- ;: m®r, • in''iomimand of, the troops at i Cologne, had: not communicated with 'Mr. Lloyd George about, tho sufferings' of the people of the occupied districts. \ and; .whether that General-rnifl not said -. that-one of .the finest things -jn the war had been tie* attitude of the British soldier in enaeavouTing to feed the women and . children. :of Cologne.

. Mr.V. Mnssey:'. What the ;. honourable member .states 'is quite, correct. I .know that British ,troopo stared their rations ■with women and children' whero' they wore, billeted.