PRO-GERMAN ELEMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 November 1916, Page 3

PRO-GERMAN ELEMENT.

MR. HUGHES'S INDICTMENT; A powerful indictment of a certain element in Australia was recently delivered by the Prime Minister, Mr. W. M. Hughes, in a speech at Ballarat. His remarks were frequently interrupted by cheers from his audience. Mr. Hughes said that fears regarding the effect of compulsion were being excited by designing men, who do not avow their real motives. People are being urged to take the path of national dishonour, and to disregard the sacred obligations we owe to men at the front and to Australia. These men must not be allowed to pose as lovers of Australia. No man can serve two masters; no man can be a friend of Australia who is the enemy of Britain . Now the Empire is fighting for its life. Let those against it get into one camp, and those for it into another. These men have nothing in common save a common hatred of Britain. There is in this country a number of wild irreconeilablcs, whose number is insignificant, but whose influence is out of proportion to their number. Many of these are in an organisation called the Industrial Workers of the World. The name is the only thing that makes them akin to industry. Their aim cannot in its entirety be avowed. Tiieir avowed weapon is the general strike. They attempted recently to use it against the community. The result, as you know _ was a miserable fiasco, but it was in- —. tended to bring all industry throughout the Commonwealth to a standstill, pre ■ vent the coaling and despatch of troop ships, and create a condition undei which they hoped to be able + o bring about something like civil war in oui midst. Happily, I-say, for the welfare ol the Commonwealth and of genuine unionism, this vile attempt failed. Bui the I.W.W. and some jthcr organisations do not stop at such tactics, but gt much- farther. They not only preach, but practice, sabotage; that is to say the wilful destruction of factories, machinery, and plant. They are to a man anti-conscription-ists. These men have perverted industrial and political unionism to the'u own base purposes. 1 hope that the workers will arise while there is yet time, and put these men out. They arc all anarchists and enemies of society I invite those with whom I have beer associated for twenty years to comidcr what company they keep. Tt ii such men as these who arc responsible for » such vile slanders as are circulated. Men and women of German origin are responsible for some of the statements made I do not blame them. The call of the blood has come, and they are for Germany for exactly the same reason a= we are for Britain. They are against the Government proposals for the s:\mr reason as every patriotic Aust'Tlinn is for them. But it is not only th \ call ot the blood that we have to ilea' with We have learned how German agents and money have been busy in stirrinr. up sedition and rebellion. They have been busy in India where their effort? had some measure of success. They were within a hair's-breadth of success in South Africa. We have seen what U.e> have done more recently in Ireland Every German in Australia with a few o I negligible exceptions, is against these :-1 proposals. Will Australians take a stani; o J on the same line as the Germans*