"A MANIFEST INJUSTICE"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 47, 20 November 1918, Page 6

"A MANIFEST INJUSTICE"

Sir—Now that Parliament is again it session a largo proportion d the community is anxiously wajting to see what steps will be taken to remove a manifest injustice to those niarreid men who enlisted in the Kew Zealand Army prior to conscription, and to whom the- increased scale of allowances has not been made introspective. This question has Ijeen discussed from one end of the Dominion to the other, and there exists no doubt that the country is practically unanimous that mairied men who voluntered from a sense of-duty, when tho ■authorities found that filling the reinforcements had become a matter of difficulty, should lie allowed the scale granted to tho Second Division from the tima of their joining the colours. To illustrate the position, take the case of a wife with two children. The wife's allowance was Is. daily, and the children's 9d. each, which, with 3s. Cd. allotted 'by the soldier, reached the_ munificent sum of £1 2s. weekly. This amount was little enough iu all conscience, even in normal limes, but when faced with the enormous increase in the cost of living it becamo simply impossible to make ends meet. The result was inevitable—indebtedness to tradespeople and recourse to moneylenders. It may be urged that there were relief associations to deal with these cases, but I maintain tha,t these bodies, however good their intentions, were- run on wrong lines. Surely a wife, when her husband is away risking and in many cases laying down his life for us, should not be compelled to approach with bated breath and whispering humbleness . any body, no matter how constituted,,for relief when she has an undoubted claim against the Government. Sir Joseph Ward's optimism with regard to the. future financial condition of the country makes the neglect of this important question all tho more difficult to understand. Then we have the Prime Minister stating in Parliament that New Zealand was doing more for her soldiers than any other part of the Empire. This reads well in the newspapers, but when I state the positive fact fhat many married men have returned to find their wives and children at the mercy of money-lenders' and debtcollecting lawyers, it will be readily admitted that a strong incentive is provided for n further effort, that is, to mate the allowances retrospective. Sir Francis Bell, when speaking on this subject, is reported to have stated that it was ridiculous to expect anything of the kind, but I have yet to hear of any similar objection on his part to another half-million being granted tp the already comfortably situated Civil Service, as well r.s the sub. stantial increase in,wages'generally. Summed up, we find that our stay-at-homa civilians are treated with every consideration, while the wives and tjependanta of soldiers were compelled 'intil a few months ago to face th? enormous and in. many cases unnecessary increase in the cost of living without the-assistance to which they were undoubtedly entitled from the Government. The handling of the question is a standing disgrace to tho country, and does not tend to make one proud of being a New Zeal.inder. Will the members of 'Parliament' take this matter in hand and see that justice i 3 done?—l am, etc., ' . E. WENTffOETH. Wellington, November 10.