A REPLY TO A CHALLENGE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 213, 28 May 1918, Page 6

A REPLY TO A CHALLENGE

, Sir,—l wish to vhank you for the local hi your papor tins morning. So Mr. Chapman, secretary of the Second Division League, ha* thrown down a challenge to nie| Well, Sir, I have every pleasure in accepting it. He says I had only one child to support when 1 went to the-ft-out. The facts are as follow: When 1 enlisted I was ■ vor military age, and my son who 'vent with me was sixteen at tho time. Ho is ,mly nineteen now, mid is still ut the front. I left in New Zealand four children, and we left a joint allotment d Bs. ner day—4s. each— which with 7s. separation allowance made £'i 3s. per week. As the children were motherless, 1 boarded out three children at Morrinsville with friends, and one at the Thames. For their board I paid Jli per week. This left i'l ,Is. per week for clothes and extras.

I was wounded at tho Somme—came hack to New Zealand as a stretcher case. During my nine months in New Zealand hospitals the Pensions Board granted mo a fair pension for tho children, which has been- paid up to the present, 1 have also a.pormnnent pension for my wounds. J. enlisted again a fortnight ago, and expect to go to camp to-day, and on active soivico in a few weeks. All my children aro being supported by me. One of them has been granted a war bursary and is at present itt the Auckland Grammar School. Tin's is '.ranted by the Government to all returned soldiers' children who qualify, and carries with it .£35 a year. I give Mr. Chapman leave| to go to the Base liccords and look up my papers, and he will find that I have nothing to bb ashamed tf. If he could ahow one-half as good n record ho would have every reason to be a proud man. I consider the allowances now made by tho Government are ample for any man. If they were not 60, '-eturiied soldiors -would take tho matter up. I am sorry the Second Division League do not like being criticised, I am al6o sorry that they have such little faith in their own cause that they havo.to resort to tfuoh paltry methods as bringing tho private, affairs of a soldier before the public. I would ask the public to note this fact and compare it with tho spirit shown by our fighting mon when they rushed the recruiting office during tho first two years c-f war.—l am, etc., ,- T. J. STANLUiV ' May 25.