The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1915. ALIENS IN OUR MIDST.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 11, 13 May 1915, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1915. ALIENS IN OUR MIDST.

From many parts of the Empire including our own country. New Zealand, there is a growing feeling thai, in face of the outrage and murder committed by the treacherous enemy, a much closer supervision of alien residents should be made, and that tiermans and Austrians who are not naturalised should at once be interned. That the German spy system has spread itself abroad, even into these far corners of the earth, is undoubted, and certainly on the least suspicion of treachery arrest should follow. Further, if one of foreign extract who has taken refuge under our flag and has accepted its privileges, should utter disparagement of the British or their Allies at this time, he should lie treated a-s a dangerous person and immediately placed out of harm's way. To say the least one so acting would be an ungrateful dog, deserving scantconsideration. But, so far as New Zealand is concerned, and her duty in this matter, the Government will have to carefully consider the proper I course to pursue. There is no need! for panicky action, but there is cer-| tainly a growing distrust of everything German which must make itself felt. It behoves aliens in our midst, therefore, to walk very circumspectly or they may find their liberty curtailed unexpectedly. We have received quite a number of letters, some of them couched in very strong language, somej suggesting immediate arrest of all, even naturalised persons oi German or Austrian extract. Jn the main these letters are a repetition, and we do not seo the wisdom of publishing them, as no good object would bo served thereby. If the Government is to take more drastic action we shall 1 ;ery soon know, and if residents who so .strongly advocate further action think they can assist the Government i in making up its mind as to what further action is necessary, resolutions might be forwarded by petition through our local bodies. An anonymous correspondence, on such a serious question, however, does not appeal to us, and on reconsideration some of our very properly indignant fellow-citizens,! who have written perhaps hastily and i with great force, will take a calmer view of the situation. We are cer-! tainly entirely in accord with the re-1 solution passed at Palmerston North i last night which asks that Germans,, naturalised or not, proved to have expressed views derogatory of the' British or Allies, or hostile to the cause of Great Britain and the Allies, should be immediately arrested andj fried for high treason. I