DETAILS OF CASUALTIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2920, 4 November 1916, Page 10

DETAILS OF CASUALTIES

(To tho Editor.)

Sir, —According to a paragraph in The Dominion, the Hon. J. Allen, Minister of Defence, said it was an impossibility to supply all details to next-of-kin regarding their wounded relatives, and that there must be a limit to information sent out unless tho staffs aro to bo worked to dentil, if this referred to reporting progress from time to time I quite agree with him; but it appears to bo an extraordinary state of affairs that the Defence authorities refuse, when supplying tho bare Yact that ii man has been wounded, to state whether wounded seriously or otherwise, and what hospital tho man is in. Tho effect of refusing to do this is that when a man is wounded his relatives are immediately cut off from all communication with him, for without tho kuowlcdge of what hospital he is in, they cannot.cable him, or relatives or friends where lie is, nor can they send him money. Tliero aro thousands of cases now of men wounded a month or more ago, and yet relatives havo never been told the nature of wound.s or where tlio man is. Relatives could wait a week for this information, but to bo told the authorities aro too busy to supply it is far from satisfactory. Why throw the work on the military if they are so busyP Why not make the High Commissioner to approve of ono or two persons to atteud each hospital, or have the information 011 these two points, and cable it to the Government? It could be done within a week of tho men being wounded. No doubt the wounded are being well looked after, but why cut the relatives off from all communinntion with them from the minute they arc wouncisT? ITo'sT 01 the men have been wounded weeks before the relatives are even informed of that fact. Some relatives havo paid for cables, and the reply thereto, to the military at Home, but no reply is sent. The casualties lmve heen exceptionally heavy, and the work for tho military also heavy, but that is no reason why the address of tho wounded should not bo supplied in a week or ten days' time. . The refusal to give any information lias caused serious discontent, and rigliSv so.—l am, etc., A PARENT.