NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 348, 4 December 1915, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

AUSTRIANS IN THE NORTH. TWO THOUSAND AT LARCH. / DETERRENT TO RECRUITING. AUCKLAND, Dee. 3. A matter of considerable importance was referred to this morning by Mr. c. H. Poole, M.P. "Rcprcscntations have boon made to me,” said Mr. Poole, "that there is a reason why recruiting has slackened off in Jhe -vortli of Auckland. I am informed, on excellent authority, that young New Zealanders are- loth to leave their homes, owing to the presence of over 2.000 Austrians in the district, none of whom arc even naturalised, and most of whom are believed to bo reservists. There is a growing feeling that the Government should place these non-natnralised Austrians under some form of restriction. There arc many hundreds of loyal Slavs and Serbians, and it would be an easy matter to discriminate between friend and foe. At present it is known that on Austrian holidays the Austrian flag is flown by the Austrians, wlio earn a living on the Government land set aside as gun-fields, and‘ generally there is a feeling of uneasiness, which is stated to be a real deterrent to re-

cruitiug in the North.”