WELLINGTON NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 11 February 1916, Page 5

WELLINGTON NOTES

ALIENS IN OUR MIDST. >; (From Our Own Correspondent.) •? Wellington, Feb. 9, Certain persons in New Zealand persist in devoting to the discovery of "Germans in our midst" the enelgythat ,'i they might more profitably give to the v encouragement of recruiting. Undoubtedly there are gome Germans in this country, outside the internment campi, though. it is a moot point if there are any military secrets worth their attcn- ,j tion. Everybody who reads the Now J Zealand newspapers intelligently knowa how many men the Dominion lias sent -i. and jg sending to the front, the da ten ; of departure of the various drafts, and j even the approximate route taken by *.jj •the transports. But, assuming fov n mo* \ anent that the Defenco Department hat "i secrets which the enemy would like to , surprise, the fact remains that some of 5 the rumors put into circulation regard- j ing individuals are utterly discreditable to their authors. For example, the gos- i .sips have been busy for many mouths past with the name of an officer of the 1 Defence Forces, who is inferred by them to be of German extraction. This officer came to New Zealand from the Imperial .. Forces. He has no German blood. His record and his parentage are known to the authorities here and in London and 1 are regarded as entirely above suspicion. Your cbrrespondent has on several occasions heard the unpleasant epithet j "German" whispered in connection with another officer—a man of wide expert. •] ence in connection with the Imporial service and a member of an old English family. An interview between this of. ficer and one of tlie scandalmongers would be interesting and probably eventful. , ■ A BOARD OF TRADE, - The appointment of a Board of Trade ' under the Cost of Living Act was before* the Cabinet again to-day. No official information was available u to the stage reached, but your correspondent ' gathered that the Ministers are now nearer agreement than they were a week : ago. There are indications that a* a - tail deadlock, which seemed to be '' threatening at one stage, has been « avoided and that the appointment of a wi " be announced shortly, pot- '■ sibly this week. Some ground for | Anxiety will remain until the matter it " adluatad. • « ;