THE SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 131, 20 February 1918, Page 8

THE SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

A PROTEST

A general meeting of members of the Second Division League was held last evening in tho Masonic Mali, Boulcott Street, to consider new matters that had arisen since the last meeting. The president (.Mr. , It. A. Armstrong) was in tho chair. The president said the executive had thought it desirable to call the members together, .is many members had been called up for service. Ho regretted that adequate provieion had not been made by the authorities for the wives and children of the soldiers. He would give them concrete cases of the way in which soldiers' wives, including the wives of men on home service, wore heing treated. He wished first to refer to tho Wellington North election, and he assured them that the meeting had not been called in connection with that matter. He further stated that Messrs. Toogood, Chapman and himself had been asked to stand, but they had declined, and tbe executive bad decided not to take any part in the election. The by-election was no test whatever, and the executive would not accept the Wellington North election as a test. Tho welfare of the wives and children was too sacred to pin to an election. The only test was a general election. Whether there was a necessity for it had not been determined. Parliament would meet in the course of a few weeks, and the executive would take stops to bring.matters affecting the league before the members, and it was difficult to say what would result. The league did not wish to take any active part in politics, but it might bo forced to do so, and if it should come to that ho believed the majority of tho people would be with the league. He referred to tho circumstances that occurred during the last Parliament, and how the league was deserted by the members who promised their support, and how in the filial division only nine members stood by the league. Sir James Allen said tho other day that ho was not n.fraid of calling up the Second Division, and ho (tho president) believed that that was so. The Second Division had promised the Government to give it every assistance in carrying out its promise to tho Imperial Government to send the last man and the last shilling. The Second Division League would do its duty, but it would also insist upon the Government doing its duty by the soldiers. Ho then gave instances of what was claimed to he unfair treatment by the Financial Assistance Board of men drawn in tho Second Division ballot, and said steps would be taken by the league to have these cases attended to, and further to see if it were not possible to prevent their recurrence.

Mr. IT. F. Toogood, vice-president of the Wellington' JJraneh, in dealing with tho Financial Assistance Board,dcclared that the board was not in touch with the Minister. The league did not want this matter of financial assistance dealt with by regulation, but by statute. Ho explained that regulations woro not passed by Parliament, but were a Cabinet matter, and could he amended or rescinded by tho Minister, but a statutory matter could not be so dealt with, and a Judge of the' Supremo Court would see justice done. A regulation was like an eel — very slippery. He roundly condemned the action of tho. Financial Assistance Board and concluded by moving the following, which was carried unanimously :— That this meeting of members of the Second Division League emphatically protests against the action of. the Financial Assistance Board in rescinding grants of financial assistance on the ground that the separation allowances havo been increased, and calls upon the Minister of Defence to take immediate steps to protect the interests of our soldiers on service and their dependants by instructing tho board to take no ufrther action along these linos, and by reinstating such grants as may already have been cancelled. Mr. C. H. Chapman thought it was necessary to urge upon the Government to have an exhaustive inquiry made, into the manner in which the grants were determined by tiie board. He said that he thought they could compel the authorities to take some definite action. When the Second Division League took up a matter it had the power to deal with it. The league had been let down very badly by the Government on the matter of separation allowance. Instead'of getting the separation allowance of 6s. 6d. by right,, as promised, they got 3s. for wives and Is. for children j and a problematic something from the Financial Board. He moved the resolution lolloping ■.— That this meeting of Second Division reservists, having fully considered the evidence of inconsistency in tiiß grants made by the Soldiers' Financial Assistance Board and the board's failure to adequately interpret tho regulations, urges upon the Government the. ner-cssity of holding an immediate and exhaustive inquiry into the manner in which tho grants by the hoards are determiner!, and further, urges the rcconstit-ufion of the board and the establishment of financial assistance bnaids in each of the chief provincial centres of tho Dominion. Mr. S. J. Wills asked permission to move ai\ amendment. The chairman suggested that as Mr. Wills- ivas secretary of the Financial Assistance lioard, it-might not be wise of him to move in the matter. He wax. however, a member of the Second Division League, and had a perfect right to move the amendment. After some discussion, Mr. Wills moved that the following words bo added i.o i-he resolution: ''That after a special sub-committee of the league has waited on the Financial Assistance Board and submitted definite proposals for a more liberal interpretation of the regulations, and has obtained no satisfaction whatever that their proposals will he carried into effect." Tho amendment was defeated and the motion was carried unanimously. Home-Service Men. * In a letter dated January 29, 1918, the Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen), in reply to a letter from the league, stated tha.t theie was no intention of extending the increased separation and allowances to men employed in homo service. These rates were created, he said, to meet tho cases of men compulsorily separated from their families and sent on foreign sen*ee tor an indefinite period. The. chairman gave instances of hardship suffered by tho wives of home-service men. Mr. T. Smith moved tho following resolution: — That this meeting of members of tho Second Division League nxpresses its regret and disappointment at the. reply of the Minister of Defence regarding payment of the increased scale of separation allowances to men on home service who are. actually separated from their families, and in view of the definite statement) made by the Minister in Parliament that there would be no discrimination between men cf the home service and foreign service branches, calls ,

I upon the. Government to fulfil the promise t-o made in tho cases of those men who are actually separated from their families, and who are in consequence not in receipt of rationing allowance. Tho resolution was earned. In respect to ths inadequacy of tho separation allowances, Mi J. I , '. Atkins moved the i'ollowin;: resolution, which was carried unanimously:— That this meeting of Secontl Division Reservists strongly con- ■ tends that the presnnt scale of separation allowances is quite inadequate lo secure the pieservation of the homos of our .soldiers, Mid urges upon Government Ihn necessity of reopening this matter immediately upon the reassembly of Parliament, with & view to increasing tho allowances to wivw; snd children, a;id making adequate provision for widowed mothers. The following resolution, movud hy Mr. It. Brown, was curried: — That this meeting Appoints the executive of tlie. league as a deputation to wait upon.the Minister of Defence and lav before fiim the resolution!, carried at this meeting, with an earnest renuest for immediate and effective atbention.

Mr. F. Evans moved: .•'That this Meeting of members of the AVnllmgton Branch of thn Second Division League is of opinion that the National Government has not the slightest intention of Providing adequate winjes and onisions for its soldiers or si>pi>raMon allowances for their wives aid children, and considers that the bpst way in whirl; it tan record its emphatic nrorest assainst tlie callous indifference the Government has_ shown towards the so'dirrs sr<? their depemlnnis i« t.o endeavour to brine: al:ont. Hip. defeat of the' Oovoni- j ment candidate at the coming by-ekc-tion." The ohairmai! ruled the motion oul ■ explaining that the • le-asfae wns nr>npolitical and non-party, ir"l '.'"r )]i? fpnguo to take psrt in flip W"!linfft»»i. North election as a leogup. it we-tildi: be necos«ry to call a special nectinjr; and alter the e.onstitmioTi of the !oaguev : .