A letter to The Evening Post, February 1947

I wonder how many of your readers have visited the Polish camp at Pahiatua. I had the pleasure of doing so a little while ago. Everything is fine, but imagine my surprise when I discovered Polish families comfortably housed in little cottages of their own. Nobody objects, I am sure, to these Polish refugees being here, but one wonders how many people know that the men folk do no work whatsoever for them and their families' keep, and believe me they have things we never see. Our own men are employed to cook for them and wait on them! One feels it is all wrong in these days of labour shortage and especially when our own boys who fought for us cannot get decent living quarters, never mind being kept. Mr Fraser paid a visit to the camp recently, and told the Polish people he hoped they were all happy and that they could be the guests of New Zealand as long as they liked. Well, I ask you, who wouldn't stay under such circumstances, no work, no rent, no food bills, no fire bills and plenty of everything.