THE CLEMENS CASE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 63, 9 December 1918, Page 6

THE CLEMENS CASE

Sir, —It is reported in the Press of oven date that the Minister of Defence was asked whether ho hail anything to say regarding the complaint made 011 behalf of the soldier, Private "Roy Clemens, and that Sir James .Allen stated the man had been transferred from one hospital to another apparently for his own good, but whether he was fit to travel at the time was a medical question which he would not attempt to decide, as he was obtaining reports on the matter. I claim this is a deliberate Attempt to get shelved pending the adjournment of the Houso the real object I had in writing the letter to the 'members of Parliament. On October 31 I was informed that urd requests had been made to Auckfor full information, and under date November 7 the Minister repeated this assurance. The influenza epidemic will be used as an excuse for the delay. The 6tory published by you is of a boy who was gassed 011 October 12, 1917, was in hospital for thirteen months, and was taken straight from bis warm bed and called upoil to undertake a journey 1 which would have'tried the strength of a veritable "Sandow," and to undertake it under circumstances as detailed in my letter. The boy died; the Minister states he was transferred, apparently for his own good. This statement is cruel, and comment is needless. The request which I made in my letter was that the members of, the House would assume the responsibility 'for what may happen to other wounded and invalid soldiers who return to New Zealand. In my letter I stated that evidence pointed strongly in a direction which would show that the ceso named by me did not stand alone. Am I justified in so thinking? I am going to quote from a letter written to me "by one of New Zealand' 6 prominent men who is in au official position. The letter was received by me about an hour ngo. I also quote a statement nude by a mother whose soldier son died a few days ago. I further quote from a statement made by a member of the Expeditionary Force. " In reference to what lias oeen already pub-. j lished the writer of the above-named I communication says: "The letter makes 6adly interesting reading. There is by fur 'too much of this callous style of dealing with our wounded and invalid men. There should n# be anything too good for I hem. Instead of that, it so frequently happens they are treated as so many healthy rough navvies. For the sake of ether parents' boys be not discouraged. Fight on." . To-day a story was told nie by a noncommissioned officer. I could not credit it, and therefore sent a messenger to see the mother of a soldier who, I was informed, died under circumstances which r to a layman, appeared to be avoidable. I nm not prepared, at present, to publish the statement, but it ends with these words: "Since my son's death a responsible officer' has told me my 6on should never have been returned to duty, as 110 was not fit." Please note. The words "a responsible officer'' in the above quotation are mine. The statement records the actual officer. The mother, so sad at heart that-she tares for little, saM; "They admit things wero not right, but that does not bring to life my boy." A member of the Expeditionary Force ten minutes ago made a statement regarding the conditions under which he suffused at 'Feathersfcon. His statement bears the impress of truth, and if true then there is disclosed a state of tilings which would discredit even a German. It is 110 good troubling about the "loaves and fishes" for the returned men if we are going to hold their lives cheap. This evening a member of Parliament told me: "I and other members are willing to do all we can, but what are we to do?" That is a question he and the other members should answer without trouble.—l am, etc., C. H. CLEMENS.