Obstacles to Recruiting.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 177, 26 May 1916, Page 2

Obstacles to Recruiting.

TO THE EDITOR.''

Sir,—Under the atov.2 heading in the correspondence column of your Ifsue ot May 19th Mr Joseph Henry labors to convince your readers tint the employment ot pnemy aliens by the Railway Dcpartiret is a right and prober proceeding, and att.r pu'tirg in a ilea against any of this ■* people being unjustly treated in what he descnb.s us this "free" cjuntry, he goes on to give some psrsinal experiences with the.e people Reverting to what jour correspondent describes ai this "free" country, what is the pesition'' We have sent neaiU 60,000 men from this country, ar.d thi National Government js anout to bring in Uousctiptnn, sj as to be in a pesition to send every avaiUbla eligible man to the front to fight tor our very cxistecc: against Germans, Austrians cr Austrian-Udlmatians; yet your corresponding a public man at that, tries to lird reasons why they should be allowed lull liberties. 'J his haa been one of our greatest weaknesses in the pastand it is not foj late yet to remedy it 1 wi:| leave your readers to form their own opinio! s as to which side the Austrian element wcuH join, supposirg a raidsr elected a landing in this country in forcj. From our every day idei of patriotism these people fall far shott of ojr standard. Un Mieir own showing they leave their own country to e-cape service Bod because of political differences, insle:d nf fighting or workug for the betterment of their country. With thousands of these people in the Auckland province, who must have tens of thiusands or relatives fighting against uur "boys," we are asked ti be. lenient and allow them to work on Public Works and toliow their usual occupations, b'cause (hay say they Co nt ap prove of th 3 Centrsl Poweis

Another weak point n your correspondent's le ter is where he refers to the Au3t'ian politic j1 power being hld by a siml! minority. In a cuntry where conscription is in fore?, this would give the majority the chance to bring about their political freedom if they had it in them as a nation to work out their own fahatio?, always providing they wanted to. I arii hot ref.rnng to naturalise! alisns wro hive married and settled here and whose demandants will in the p.'cond generation make gcoJ citiz;rs, but to those who come to this country to save monev and then go home to Aust'ii or Dalmatia to spend it That the Prime Minister and Parliament are well informei as to the kind of thing that go:soi up North I don't doubt, sccin? the reports from travellers and Ministers which periodically appear in our dali?s and which are brought to th:ir notice. What about the drinking and demoralisation ot the natives, mala and female, caused bv the Austrian wine makers and wine licenses? Perhaps your correspon Jent has not travelled in the North, or has only met exceptionally good men cf tuia race. fs to the Kufsian Sfavs, who are, Mr Joseph Benry claims, ot the sime rac: as his p-oteges, i will give you a personal experience. About the end of October, 1915, the Uiusian Consul sant me two of thc3e man who had passports; they worked for me for atout four months and proved very good workmen. Una turned out to be a draughtsman, and when they began making all kindj of enquiries re river.', roads aod other military information the uther men began to look on them with suspicion, and I wascompell.d to move them on. The draughtsman has lately bean arrested under suspicious circumstances m a spy near falnnralon North. This shows that ill Inugh we are allied to KuJi'U it ia not wiw to give even them toj much lalitucb.-T

am, etc , VbTEKAN I ro" THE EUU'OK. | Sir,- -1 notic (I a letter in a lecent issua of your paper from Mr J Henry, of I'atumahoe, standing up fir tli2 Dalmatians, Austrian subjects. This had reference to your leading articles headed as above. Mr Henry mis;es the main point ot your article, and that 13 "They are erem.v sabj cts." Whether they like Austnaa rule or not is no concern of ours; the fact remains they ara not Uritish subjects and should not be allowed to run the jibs and draw good pay, while our own flesh and blood are away tightl.ig. They may be pood fellows, etc, as Mr Henry points out, but in'this war it is "For or Against," with nc it's or buts.—l am, etc., BKITISHEK