ENEMY ALIENS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 August 1915, Page 5

ENEMY ALIENS.

I'RINCTFLK OF TREATMENT, NO D-ISORIIirNATJOX. ' Wellington, Wednesday. The system, or principle, under which alien enemy subjects are dea.lt with iu New Zealand during the war Is more or - loi-i generally under discussion among the public. Regulations gazetted last month lay down that every person i* deemed to 'be an alien enemy who is or lias been a subject of any race at war with Britain, whether lie or she has been naturalised in British dominions or not. But the chief point in tile public mind seems to Le upon what principle is the Government dealing with alien enemy subjects, and especially those employed in the Public Service. The Alliens Bocr.l. which was set up to deal with this matter, and whose, onlor of reference i-; founded upon the system adopted in .Britain, investigates •.'.ll cn'es and advises tl'.e Government. Mr.v.y cases ha-.e already been dealt wi(h. N There k at .present in the Public Scr-vi.-o cnly one man employed who is of an enemy race, and he has been in New Zealand from childhood, and his ease is recognised to be cxcopMonal. There arc other similar rase/, outside the Public Service that have come under jioticc, cases win.re pnients have neglected to see that their children, born in Germany, or on German soil, have been properly naturalised, and who. when war breaks; out, cannot be naturalised, lint in all' other c-.imcs oxcrpf this one where enemy sliibjecLi were employed in the rnblb Service of this country they were summarily dismissed, stated 'the Prima .Mini tcr today. Soon after the, outbreak nf war this principle had been

adopleil in the Public Service without ilis-'-rnninaticn.

As far as 'lroie-or ven /cdliU was concerned, said the Prime Minister, the Government was not in the same posh tion. The Victoria College Council op. pointed or dismissed its teachers, and the Government had not the authority in these matters that it had in regai'J to the Public Service. There was Eot, therefore, di*crimination.

The practice in regard, to other bra ache.-, of publi.- employment, the Wol. iingtmi Harbor Hoard for in-.tanee. has alrea,iy been nnide public. In the case of the Hai'l.or Boanl u\l nnnaturalbvd enemy '.ubjccls had been dismissed, eScepl cue Geniun, whose ease was sinrHar to the one referred to above, and who luul been in this c;.;iiitry for over forty years. There are four other Germans employed, three permanently and ono casually.- but they are all naturalised, and their wise* ha\e been duly investi-

A We.lnigtoii Pe-t icjioi-ier gathered M'om r.-prc.-entatives of Labor this morn"lit the feeling u f Labor upon this matfm-. "Lvbor." said one prominent re-l-»cp. Liiive, "doe., not object to work !,' tMl :' ! . ! , ly ;! ! ui;, " ; "'■"' fl ' lK >n'-- recogmVe H.aJ w .„,10 the (Germans or Austrian* ;" v "■!''• dicy haw to work or be fed !>>• tL-Slal,. ,l,al 1, if they are not »>l<". ''<••!. But we do object to any oc-O'inunat.on in this matter: wc do tumk- Cut a (.erman who is 8. laborer -iioiml ee kc;i( from emnlovment bv employer, who sympathise with ,1 German '" •'' h!.':h po.Mfion, and we do not thiuk ! "K; a German laborer should be sent !'• S-anus Lland, while another alien "i -n influential sphere is a H oW ed to ie.mai;i 111 bis appointment. As a mate.r o principle, (he edn.atcd. influen•ial alien inenAer of society is more to be feared a.t large than the worker alien. All that Labor desires to see is that the same principle shall be applied, no mat- !•''■ "I'iii- .t.Ue of life the enemy »übject is in.-'