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Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 154, 19 March 1918, Page 6

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THREE DRAFTS OF TROOPS ARRIVE

GREAT CROWD GIVE A WARM

WELCOME

For some months past soldiers have been arriving back quietly in small drafts, and the landing lias been effected without anything in tho way of a demonstration. It was rather diu'erent yesterday, when three large drafts of returned men arrived (via Auckland) iu transports 95 and 96. Tlie vessels arrived in the harbour during the forenoon, but owing to necessary work to bo performed by the medical and clerical staffs, the transports <Ji<i not berth at. the Queen's Wharf until 2 p.m. At that hour the wharf presented a very animated sight. In addition to next-of-kin, there were a great many people who were putting ill part of their holiday in watching the scene. It is estimated that there must have been 7000 or SOOO people on the wlnirf, and there was no mistaking the cordiality of the greeting extended to the boys in khaki, who thickly lined tho bulwarks and peeped from every port in search of their friends.. Tho majority of those waiting were of the gentler sex.

"Oh, isn't it lovely to see them coming home again," said one young lady as her glistening eyes traversed the serried lines of kliaki high on tho deck of the transport above.

"There's my boy—there's my boy," said an old lady in broken accents, pointing'to a. big six-footer among his comrades. "Jack, Jack!" she called. Then someone pulled Jack's sleeve and indicated the mother. "Hullo, mum," shouted the soldier. "I'm all right— be down in a few minutes!" There were tears in plenty shed yesterday— mostly tears of joy. One young lady, who had talked herself hoarse, was fully determined to get on board. After reconnoitring tho position, she tucked her skirts up and went head first through one of the portholes, and a few minutes later was standing smiling besides "her man" on the do:k. It was the triumph of intrepidity. i In the absence of the Mayor, Councillor J. E. Fitzgerald welcomed the soldiers, and in the name of the citizens of Wellington he extended to the returned men tho heartiest possible welcome to'the city. Some of the returning men, said Councillor Fitzgerald, had been absent from these shores for three years, all of them had been some 13,000 to 14,000 miles away, and he could assure them that despite tinie and distance those who had been left behind in New Zealand had followed their exploits with the keenest interests and recorded their sacrifices with intense sorrow. Knowing as they did that some of them had left happy, cheerful firesides for the camp, the citizens of Wellington welcomed them home as chivalrous citizen soldiers who had fought and suffered in the cause of liberty, freedom, and justice. (Applause.) Councillor Fitzgerald was accompanied by Mrs. Fitzgerald, who distributed fruit and cigarettes among the men. Many of the men are wearing small blue stripes on the right sleeve of their tunics, with an occasional red stripe. Every blue stripe means a year of active service. The red stripe signifies that tiiey are Q. 914 men. Many among those who returned yesterday were wearing three stripes. - The South Island men left for tho sout.li last evening by one of the transports.

"MUDDLE AND MISMANAGEMENT" A VIGOROUS PROTEST. A protest against the lack of organisation for the meeting of returned sick and wounded 111011 was made by the' "Wellington Industrial. Association last night. Mr. L. I. Partridge said "that he had noted that in conscquence of a protest at Auckland the Defence Minister had promised that a full inquiry should bo mado regarding delays there in tho disembarkation of returned men. "What I wish to say," Mr. Partridgo continued, "is that what took place in the Post Office Square to'-day was a disgrace to the Government and the' Defence-Department. . It would he a disgrace to any organisation. This has been going on for three years. The Automobile Association long ago offered to meet returning transports and hospital ships, and to bring tho men away in cars. Tlioy did so on soveral occasions, and they clashed to such an extent with the Defence Department that they pulled out. ' At a meeting of tlie association recently I said that we should give it another trial, for the sake of the boys, ancl there were about fifty cars in the Post Office Square to-day, stuck there unable to move. There was no organisatidn at all. The thing is getting worse every time. The men were misbed off like sheep, some of them limping away leaning 011 the arms of their mothers or other relatives. There was no organisation of any sort. . . . I think it is time a protest was_ made agatnst all ithis muddle and mismanagement in the meeting of these returned men." The moil were treated, he continued, as if they had never been away lighting, as if they had never done anything for their country at all. Any privato individual could have run tho thing well enough. Flo thought it was time the disgraceful state of things existing was brought to public notice. The Government .were continually talking about what they were going to do for returned soldiers, and yet tlioy could not seo that the men were taken away from the ship when they came hack.

Mr. T. Bnllinger said that he had / Tieon on the wharf that aftornoon. Hs thought the Defence Department, had made a mistake in landing the men on the Queen's H'ltart on one of the busiest days that ilipre had been for some time. Tlm men tvere coming off tiie wharf being "chivvied" tile while by carts. Ho happened to be in Auckland when th« l , mew were landed thoKji, and thero, too. the arrangements ivere a disgraco. The following resolution, nroposed by the chairman (Mr. P. J. Evans), was carried: "That a letter of strong protest bs forwarded to the Hon. Minister of Defence against tins wholly inadequate arrangements which continue in regard to the meeting of returned soldiers on arrival, and the conveyance of them to their homes."

THE AUCKLAND MUDDLE A SCENE OF CONFUSION. Referring to the trouble at Auckland on Friday in connection with tho reception to the returned soldiers, tho "Star" states that from the outset there was confusion and delay, and as time passed the confusion becamo worse confounded. Tile first trouble appeared to be at the wharf gates, where a big crowd of next-of-kin had waited anxiously from about midday to get 011 the wharf to see their men after Mil absoncc of from two to three years. No one seemed to know definitely when the men would got ashore, and the crowd grew steadily bigger as tho evening drew 011. When they were finally admitted, there was more or less jostling and pushing as is inevitable in a crowd, <

The muddle, however, was chiefly in the arrangements on the wharf. The transports, contrary to expectations and previous practice, did not come alongside, although there was plenty of room for one at least. It was stated

that instructions were received from Wellington not to berth them. Consequently the men had to be taken from ■the boat to the wharf in a tug, and this proved a tedious job. The first lot did not come alongside the quay till about 6.30 o'clock. The Mayor (Mr. J. 11. Gunson) who, with several members of the City Council and the chairman of the Harbour Board (Mr. H. D. Heather), were present to tondor the men a civic reception, had thus to address between thirty and fifty men out of over 2000. These few men were almost immediately swallowed up in the crowd. Next-of-kin had no means of discovering who bad ' como ashore and who had not, and they had to push and jostle to get near the men, anxiously scanning them for the familiar features of the oiie they Were expecting. Then the tug went back for another load, and when she re turned the same confusion occurred again. Some of the poor fellows wero on crutches, and some minus limbs, and they had to scramble up the gangway as best they could, and had it not been for ths outstretched hands of the public, some of them must have fared badly.

In the shed the confusion, if anything. got worse. Eldorly people lvno bad been waiting the greater portion of the afternoon were in a state of exhaustion, and were unable to shoulder their way among the crowd. Some of them could not find their soldier relatives until nearly 11 p.m., and in the confusion they could not get information as to whether the soldiers they sought were still on the ship or whether they had missed them in the general confusion.