BRINGING IN JAPANESE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 July 1938, Page 5

BRINGING IN JAPANESE

BISHOP CHERRINGTON’S SUGGESTION. DEBATED BY WELLINGTON SYNOD. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The suggestion recently made by the Bishop of Waikato, the Rt. Rev. C. A. Cherrington, that land for the use of Japanese migrants should be offered in New Zealand was debated yesterday by the Wellington Diocesan Synod. No acfion was taken, however. The subject was introduced by Mr E. Whitcombe (Palmerston North), who moved that synod repudiated the Bishop of Waikato’s suggestion and regretted that it had been made public to the world. A report of the Bishop of Waikato’s speech at the Waikato Synod was read out by Mr Whitcombe. “Certainly New Zealand would not know itself with 5,000,000 Japanese,” he commented. Mi- H. A. Huggins (Wellington)'-, at this stage suggested that the discussion should be in committee. .To this Mr Whitcombe replied that he had considered that, and was inclined to agree, but his seconder, the Rev. F. S. Ramson (St. Peter’s, Palmerston North), was of opinion it should be heard in open synod. Archdeacon W. Bullock, acting president, said that it was open to anybody to move that synod should go into committee. Nobody did so, however, and Mr Whitcombe continued his address. “Had these remarks been published only in New Zealand, and not gone outside, I, for one, and I think all New Zealanders, would have ignored them,” he said. “But when we find such remarks published to the world, and the Japanese apparently accepting them in good faith, and saying they are quite prepared to send people to New Zealand, and that it is a good idea, I feel it is necessary for this synod to make it plain that such views do not meet with its approval. “Bishop Cherrington asked whether, from the Christian point of view, if we could not fill our country with our own people, we had the right to keep other people out. At present birth statistics show that New Zealand is not in a position to increase her population by births. In recent years considerably more people have left the country than have arrived here. There are plenty of people in this world similar to us in political, religious and social ideas, who will mix and fuse with us and help to swell the New Zealand population without materially altering it. Can we dream of asking an infidel nation which is showing itself by its behaviour in China to be a nation utterly without honour, and as brutal in ■ warfare as any people of preRoman periods? If you people present are not familiar with Christianity in China, as practised by the Japanese, look at these photographs of different incidents that have taken place there during the progress of the war,” Mr Whitcombe then produced a booklet entitled “Pictorial Evidence of Japanese Atrocities,” published by the China Information Committee, Hankow. “Here is a photograph of Japanese smiling as' they kill a Chinese boy,” he said. “Is the idea to go out of New Zealand that we would accept such people? What is synod going to do? Nothing?” The Rev. N. F. E. Robertshawe (St. Mark’s, Wellington), then moved that the matter be debated in committee. Afterward it was reported that the chairman of the committee had left the chair, meaning that no action had been taken.

NO COMMENT IN AUSTRALIA. SYDNEY, July 15. Bishop Cherrington’s proposal for the admission of Japanese to New Zealand and Australia has created a good deal of interest in Australia, but so far there has been no official or newspaper comment on the subject.