SOLDIERS ON LEAVE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2810, 30 June 1916, Page 6

SOLDIERS ON LEAVE

ACCOMMODATION IN THE CITY. Soldiers returning from the South Island after spending leave there mostly reach Wellington on Sunday mornings, and-they find it. exceedingly difficult to obtain accommodation in Wellington on Sundays, and - they cannot get trains to camp at Tauherenikau. Dr. Thacker asked the Minister, of Defence in the House yesterday whether tho Defence Department would not arrange for some methodical system of housing these men, nnd also the men on week-end leavo from Featherston Camp. . The Minister said that some provision was made already in Wellington for tho accommodation of soldiers. Tho Soldiers' Club in Sydney Street was open early on Sunday morning, and there the men could get breakfast. He admitted that there was a difficulty about accommodating the, largo number of soldier 3 who came in from Foatherston on weekend leave. He knew that one night recently some men had to sleep in a railwav carriage. Dr. Thacker: They should not have to do so. Mr. Allen: I know they should not. Dr. Thacker:, Why don't you dcsonie.thlng? ', ■■'. I , Mr. Allen said that arrangements were made to give men sleeping;-accommoda-tion at the Drill Hall, but he believed that the'men who had applied there had not been accommodated. He was inquiring as' to why his instructions in. this regard had not been carried out. He did not know whether sufficient accommodation could bo provided at tho Drill Hall for the large number of men coming to town, but as soon as he oonld get statistics he would let the House know. If the men could not all be accommodated there, then, in view of the .fact that Wellington derived so ■much benefit from the soldiers, he thought it was \the duty of the people of Wellington to provide for them. The problem of housing soldiers in Wellington during the week-ends liad yet to ha solved. As soon as he got sufficient-in-formation to enable him to make a further public statement lie would do i so.