THE ENEMY ALIEN QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 January 1919, Page 5

THE ENEMY ALIEN QUESTION.

DISCUSSED BY FARMERS' UNION. At the meeting of the Tar&naki executive of the Farmers' Unign on Thursday, Mr- Astbury mentioned tile resolution passed at the last meeting dealing with the enemy alien question. ' lie was aware that he was now out of order in quoting it, but perhaps the chairman and members would permit him to maku a few remarks. Tho definition of "enemy" alien" carried at* their meeting was too drastic, and it seemed to him that they had done A measure of injustice in passing that resolution without any qualifications or exemptionsMr. Dawes desired to know if "enemy <t Hen" included persons who had been naturalised, and would they still remain Pritish subjects Mr. Maxwell replied that the laws were amended at Home when the war broke out. He was previously under the impression that when a man was ones a British subject he was always so, but those rights apparently could be taken away. Mr. Buelcoridge thought that they were denaturalised in bloc. Continuing, Mr. Astbury said that the resolution passed at last meeting and presumably sent to the Minister for Defence, included the fathers and mothers of boys who had gone to the front to fight our battles, and who had made the supreme s&criflce. One parent, either the mother or the father, may foe a fullblooded enemy alien; YKc other may be a Britisher. The boys had been born undfr and brought up trader <mr constitution; they had in in an/ cases volunteered for military service; they had gone to the war and hacf, as ho previously remarked, in many cases made the supreme sacrifice. Supposing the mother Gf such boys to have been an Englishwoman, married to a full-blooded enemy alien, the resolution passed at last meeting would >be doing her a grave injustice that sH« had no right to nave imposed upon her. In the case of a father, it would mean that he could not hold land in tlie Dominion except tinker special license. Mr. Maxwell; I think he has to apply for a license now. Mr- Astbury: Not if he is naturalised. In any case, the strictures passed upon parents such as he bod quoted, depite their loyal action and the absence of •nv suggestions of disolyalty, were too sweeping At last meeting his tHofights were .concentrated upon the position such a resolution would place these boys in; he had overlooked the parents' position, and had this resolution come up for discussion after a notice of motion had been given, members would have had more time to consider it to all its bearings and form a more considered judgment It appeared to him that there must be some qualifications or exceptions to meet the cases of undoubted loyal parent*, and he would give notice of motion to re-consider the resolution at their next meeting.

Mr Maxwell said that he was still opposed to departing from the attitude he took at last meeting. He mav ,be quite wrong, but he held firmly to the opinion that it was not x question of days or years or generations, but a question of very great length of tima before the blood could be changed, and a person o? enemy alien birth wKo was incapable of being disloyal to his blond was i?anI gerous to the community. However, tli>< I position might be met 'W exempting pet* I sons, though of fnH enemy alien Mood, who have displayed unquestionable loyalty at parents dmring the •war„ " an2 who were mftrried nrlw to tie war. The question will he further 41*etttsed