FOOD ON TRANSPORT No. 49

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2805, 24 June 1916, Page 10

FOOD ON TRANSPORT No. 49

PRGVEOUS STATEMENTS REFUTED ■ Statements were made in the House a. .. few days, ago by Mr.'-C. 'H:'Poole about , tho "food on Transport No. 49, oil the . voyage from New.Zealand to Suez, and about, the-attitude ; ;of an officer' on tha ship. > Mr. Poole read a letter received . in New ZEaland.iionV a soldier who trav- • died; 011 the ship, and at the time the / Defence-Minister; was not in Wellington, '.and--therefore'.notUi'i. tlio'House. • Mr.' Allen, : .wlio : -'return<;d to 'Wellington yesterday;" took 'the-'earliest opportunity of referring ; -to. tho Istatements., "I-am eorry," said Mr.; Allen, "that 1 have not the official 're'poft' on the' transport, but "this..will be,obtained and given to the House, as soon as I can get it. But' I have in my--hand a letter .'from somebody who read the remarks of the hou. : ourable member,r.. - ; Mi-;'Allen'then read as'follows:—"Ai you know my son left in the Troopship No. 49. . . ."In'-'describing . tho-voy-age he said be had a most pleasant ■ time on board --As j'oii: know, he had been in Teatherston and Trentham camp, and he said the food on the ship was all that could be desired, and that possible, it was' equally as good as, if not better than, at tho camps-." : : Mr. Poland: What troopship was that? Mr. Allen: Troopship No. 40. He read ' aso this other quotation:""Although the alleged remarks of the commanding officer were pretty strong, there is a good deal of truth in them. This is'hot a time for quibbling over paltry matters, ana where there are over 1200 men on - board a troopship you can't, expect draw. , ing-room conditions." , Mr. Poole raised a point of order to ; prevent the reading of further com-' ments of this sort, saying that tliev ywre not official. Mr. Speaker said that, the - , extracts read were not in contravention ■of the -standing orders. sa "l . 110 did not wish to; lead any more of that letter, but the' "oj -a' ila(i > however, another letter, written by someone who had seen 't'n- 'i^statement*. L■l .' ett ?i v eoutained the following C r'. tract from a letter from the writer's? .611 ■ ..a soldier 011 the ship: "We are having a : . graud time—not.uiig much to do, and all Si" 1J1 " ,i hc food ™ get is ex- ' Til IM4 6 r 1 ' 1 ' 1 ", 1 f' sh ior . Jhs letter continued: "I think my son's information is very reliable, and i£ might oe-ot some use to yon," ' . ■ , Roland: Is he an officer or a pri- ?;', r r *. He is a private. Mi?ht I be permitted to say," be continued,,.. that -the remarks with regard to food on this -troopship have been circulated. throughout New Zealand, causing a great-deal of unrest, and lam >.orrv the 'honourable member did not Cdine to see: mo before ho brought llieui up in tho House? Mr. Poole: You were not here. .ur. Allen: They could have waited for a -.tew-days.- But they have gone throughout the country and stirred up a good deal ot feeling. They hnvo bail a start, i-cant catch them with a refutation of . them. Ihcy are very unjust to tho Defence Department, to the commanding officer on tho ship, and to the other men 011 the ship who have not' made theso .complaints, but who have written to wiy they are quite satisfied, fie added that . ns could not object to.members bringiilegitimate grievances under his not'ee" and he would always do his best to set them right. Mr. Poole said that tho Minister had misinterpreted his- motive in bringing this matter forward. He had siliiply brought forward the letter without comment.

Mr. Allen asked Mr. Poole to supply the name of -the writer of the letter. ' Dr. Thueker: What about supplying the names of the writers of your 'l iters!' Mr. .Mawcy: I am quito willing to give the names. They are uiy letters.