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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

■ . ♦ : — MAIN BODY MEN THE QUESTION OF PItOMOTIONS. Sir, —Evidently there appears to be' a good deal of feeling as to the treatment meted out to the Main Bodyas to leave and promotion. As I read the letters from Mr. Burnett and others appearing last week, I had a returned Main Body soldier staying with mo, a secondary school hoy, and sou of a Church of England clergyman, who had left early and put in four or fivo months at Gallipoli before being knocked out. His story was tho samo oven in the early days. As their officers were incapacitated fresli ones were nearly always brought from later Reinforcements rather than promotion given to, the men in tho ranks. One has to be very-thankful-.that our boys havo come through safely thus far, hut there is a limit even to this! Knowing_ them—as most parents do know their boys—ono can gather from their letters their wonderment at the /longdelayed promotion or transfer... After two years at the front—twice "menj tioned in dispatches" and receiving a decoration—a man finds" himself without promotion of any kind. But this is what the Hon. the Minister of Defence describes as the' "exigencies of the service," I suppose. " In the case of my own sons,! only regret they did not join the British service, where" their efforts would have received recognition proportionate to their services. In The Dominion of April 14' I see a long list of N.C.O.'s who have been I granted commissions, but what chance of anything of tho sort have our boys who went aw 7 ay early as against these later men ? And, as soon as these men get out to Franco, our sons and boys of the earliest contingents will find themselves being superseded again.—l am, etc., PARENT OF TWO.':

"■ THE PRESENT UNREST . Sir—Much of the present discontent, inducing to domestic and semi-political eruptions, is manifestly ■• being engineered for the purpose of embarrassing the National Government and the lawabiding and patriotic people of the Dominion. Those who realise the soreness of our national straits arc-amazed that 'seemingly sane men should enand actually succeed to 'some extent, in fomenting internal strife at the present time. It seems to me nothing short of a .crime .for. agitators of any sort whatsoever to create illfeeling, bad-blood and class; hatred between any one section of tho community and another at this crisis in our Empire's existence. The Government has taken steps to deal with seditionmongers and the openly disloyal. The disturbers of our industrial peace and the creators of class and ; sectional enmities, are, however, working secretly, silently, and 'surreptitiously, seldom obtruding themselves into' the".arena,' of the strife they create. What is it all for? Not to gain any, personal advantage, they, protest. They-wan.t to harass'the National Ministry .and make the work of winning the war more difficult. That is not patriotic. It is not fair to the people, of this country who are loyal to the backbone. 'Yet for political or party advantage members of Parliament are giving countenance and support to the present discontent. It is difficult to discover the cause. It is alleged that German influences are at work sowing the seeds of sedition in this Dominion. That there are persons who, if they do not appear themselves'in the forefront, are over ready to find convenient dupes to write seditious letters, head deputations to Ministers, or excite, some section of the. community to'.raise up animosities against another. Such conduct. Sir,; is criminal; 'and the severest measures ought to bo-employed to'suppress all agitation at.the "present time on any question that would stir up internal strife or embitter one section against another. Before I make'a suggestion, permit me to point out that such men as Mr. Philip Snowden are doing in England what a similar class is attempting to do in New Zealand.Dealing with Mr. Snowden, who is not personally -unknown to; many people in New Zealand, the London:"Times," in a leading article, spoke'of Mr. Snowden as '■' "that 'monument of self-righ-teous intolerance, who_ preaches p'eaco and practises" strife with a, .Heart full of rancour, and a tongue spitting venom at his neighbours.'' It's a Gbd'sblessing that we have few men and women in New Zealand that come up to.the "Times's" description of Mr. Snowden, but they aro with iis,.' nevertheless," .'arid'it"is the business of everyone to frown upon'their'efforts here-and discountenance their unpatriotic conduct. It is difficult to know what to do_ with such : persons. Compulsory military service 'is objected to, but it is an essential in most democratic countries;. and it is made a. condition to citizen-' ship. That should be the.political po-' sitio'n in New Zealand. . Let "strikers"' be disfranchised also; and let military law beestablished in the meantime in. ■the areas affected the present dis-' content. Lot peace prevail within our borders, by force'if rieed.be, until wo have "broken..;the Hun .upon his own wheel. —I am,, etc., . A.JAX.'.,

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19170420.2.78

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3058, 20 April 1917, Page 8

Word count
Tapeke kupu
819

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3058, 20 April 1917, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3058, 20 April 1917, Page 8

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