CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1918, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

10X01% VO WHOM HONOR, ffi) DUE. To the Editor. Sir, —I was very much interested ir: leading the article by Edgar Wallace on the man and men v/ho saved the Empire at the battle of the Marne. The article is properly styled "story," because it is destitute'of truth.: That EitzClarenco may be the officer I don't intend to dispute. But that the 'Worcestershires or the Welsh Borderers were the men I do dispute, for the simple reason that the men who saved tlhe positior. in the retreat from the Marne were none other than the Dublin and Munster Fusiliers. Those brave Dublins and Munsterj held the German?, single-handed for a whole week, with the result that when a reinforcement urrived at the end of the week t'he Germans were etili at- bay, although there was onlv three of the Munstera and Dublins alive. It is strange how systematically all correspondents coming to New' Zealand try to suppress all credit duo to the valor of those gallant Munstera and Dublins. The same applies to their doings at Gallipoli. I have never seen their names mentioned m anv paper in New Zealand an bein" on Turkish soil at all, not even in Sir lan Hamilton's report, although tiiev were the first to land in Turkey, We also : had the same experience from Loos, mierc the London Irish took a mile dcen of. trendies and six German cannon. That also never appeared in any New Zealand paper. It would appear, Sir, as if there was a prohibition in New Zealand of any reference to gallant deeds of our Irish soldier. I wonder if all the space in our New Zealand papers is specially reserved to be devoted to the flattery of our Xew Zealand soldiers only l —I am, etc., JOHN DIGGINS. Lapperton, January 7, ].&]{!.. THE ALIEN PROBLEM. To the Editor. Sir,—The report in your issue of today of the War Relief Association shows up the alien in our midst in a very unsatisfactory light, the more so as gentlemen of the learned fraternity admit that 'nothing can be done." It would appear

that this same, feeling on the elf-same question in Australia was the causa of the "No" majority. Let me quote in ■brief frohi the Mirror: "While the .alien in our midst is allowed to reap the harvest obtaining from war intlated prices ' and the consequent increase of land lvalues, so Ion;? will we raise our voice 1 ugiiimt constription.'' Sir, tliis is but a reflection of a growing opinion amongst | our people, and are we to stand helpless J and say "nothing' can he done"? I would I respectfully suggest to you and your j readers that our (lovornmeiit could, in ; justice, impose a tax upon all aliens [ equal to what they would lose if they ! went to the war. This would compel J (hem to contribute in kind equal to what j they would he compelled to contribute in | man-power if accepted for service. Some such scheme would certainly minimise the irritation which now exists among; those j who aie fighting and enduring hardships I in order that both alien and Britisher I mav live and work in peace—T am, etc., , H. F. J.