THE SOLDIER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 94, 15 January 1919, Page 6

THE SOLDIER

PRIVILEGES UPON RETURN A GOVERNMENT HANDBOOK. ' ..The first demobilisation edition of the !'E'eturned Soldiers' Handbook has beeir issued. The handbook has undergono a thorough pruning, which is to its 'advantage, as the,returning soldier has ' .usually so much'to occupy his attention, so many personal interests, that he endeavours to dispose as speedily as •possible of anything savouring of "red -'tape.". The Defence authorities are , -evidently cognisant of tins little, weak- / ness, wnich often leads the soldier to -neglect his own.interests, for they have issued simultaneously with : . the hand-

book a six-page summary of the forty pages. The summary, a handy pam- _ phlet, is to be given to every returning soldier while ou the -ship,-' and he may obtain the full copy of the regulations ' on application. A little later, it is proposed to issue a special chapter on repatriation for the guidance of the men before they set foot in New Zealand. . For the benefit of the' soldiers' relatives, who are almost as much interested.in his privileges as tho. soldier himself, we give a brief outline of the privileges to which the returned soldier ,is entitled, quoting from the handbook, which sets everything out fully, and which will.-be.a valuable guide to patriotic societies and other organisations concerned .with the men's welfare. ' "Before disembarking, the soldier obtains an advance of pay amounting to £5, if available, though if ho is sent direct to hospital, the advance is £1. Except those who have been returned, for punishment, or who contracted .-disease through their own action, returning soldiers receive before dis- ' charge a warrant •,entitling them to

;-free railway travelling for a "period uf ! 28. days.. This must .be used within i;three months following the date of the of the 28 days' leave on 'full .pay, .which they receive on disembarkation, prior to discharge. Invalided soldiors obtain this privilege .when their treatment is completed. Prior to discharge, the soldier must ' travel :ih- uniform, but if bouses the the pass after-;discharge, when he wears ■ mufti, he must' carry his discharge certificate/to prove bona fides. While

"travelling on the pass, the soldier is '...entitled to free meals .where trains .; stop for this purpose. Tho Ncw.Zea-

' land steamship.; companies have joined with the Government in this concession .'■to'the extent of granting the returned soldier return tickets for single faro. ''■The companies which grant this privilege are the Union Steam Ship Com:pa'uy,' Huddart-Parker, Ltd., Northern Steamship Co., Richardson and Co., .Anchor Shipping .-Co., and Wairau

-.Steamship Co.' - , /.-, -In cases where the soldier has to receive medical treatment prior to discharge, the medical board on the ship '"will grant'one week's' sick leave beforo .the treatment'commences, if it is possible .to do so '.without injury to the '"soldier's health. This will enable him ' r tb.. visit his relatives before undergoing -hospital l treatment.- 'There are cases in "Which the sick leave privilege cannot bo extended. Then the wife and parents ' are '.given free railway passes ix> the town in which the hospital is situated. Application for those passes must be made to .Base Records. Where there -is ho wife or parent, one warrant will 'he issued to tho next-of-kin. Though full pay goes on whilo tho soldier is in_ hospital, the soldier will only ro'';celve, by. fortnightly warrants, Is. 6d., -•'■per J day,;th6ugh' allotments go on as usual. The balance is paid him as soon as he leaves tho hospital. '';.. The provisions regarding discharge 'are best given in full as they appear in tho handbook :—

(a) If medical treatment is not required the soldier will receive twentyeight days' privilege leave and bo discharged.

(b) The soldier returned invalided and requiring medical treatment will not, unless otherwise determined by the commandant, be discharged from the Expeditionary Force during such time as he continues to require medical treatment as an in-patient of a hospital or convalescent homo.

'(c) Out-patients will ho discharged when a medical -board considers that' they aro able to undertake some civil employment and recommends discharge.

Lost sinco 1896, the parish stocks of Bamptou, Devon, have been returned to the churchwardens by a woman living at Dulvcrton, Somerset.

.- Karqri Park Is' being largely used this season by picnic parties, and during the next three weeks fixtures have been arranged'for seven picnics. The council has provided-plenty of accommodation in the way of dressing-rooms, ladies' rooms, and other conveniences, and the tea ntjm is also open.

THE HOUSING PROBLEM

» PEO?LE s WITH TARGE FAMILIES COURT APPRECIATES THEIR POSITION The acuteness of tho housing problem in Wellington, was mentioned in a case heard before Mr. F. V. Fnwr, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday! Tho Court was asked to make an order requiring a tenant to give up possession of a six-roomed dwelling. The plaintiff,. w'a3 Isaac Jackson, plumber, of Wellington, who proceeded against Joshua Claphani, bootmaker, ou a claim for the recovery of .£22 rent and possession of premises at 165 Owen Street. The rent was claimed at tho rate of £1 per week fro n- August 12, 1918, to January 13, 1919. Mr. D. M. Findlay appeared for plaintiff and.Mr., J. A. Scott for de-. r'endant. * Evidence was given by Sydney Jackson; son of the plaintiff, ihat he acted as agent for his father. The rent of the houso occupied by defendant had faUen into arroars some time back and had never been paid up. The mortgage on the house had expired and an implication for renewal had been made, but the mortgagee had refused to renew the mortgage until the present tenant was got out of the place. At the present time the premises were not fit for tenancy, and it was desired to have them renovated. It was absolutely impossible to have repairs effected while the defendant was in the house, which was also too small for Ms family. In reply to Mr. Scott, witness stated that his father desired to sell the property, which was fourteen years old. The transfer could not be executed until the present tenant left and repairs bad been carried out. Different rooms in the house had been papered four or five times, and waste-pipes, which had been damaged, had aiso been repaired. It would ,t<ike' at least £150 to put the house in order again. Witness had complained to defendant about the way he kept the house. He had often effected repairs, but he would admit that he-had refused to do certain work. The next-door house, also owned by plaintiff, was in firstclass order and had been so well looked after by its tenant that it had not been necessary to spend £5 on it. To Mr. Findlay: Defendant was not a- desirable tenant, as he was •wilfully knocking the place about. The win-dow-sashes were broken and other damage had been done. He had never seen a house damaged in such a'way as the premises under notice had been. The house had not been kept in a sanitary condition. With such a large family as defendant had it was not possible properly to carry out repairs. _ Mr. Scott: What price are you got-, ting for the sale of this house?

Witness: We have.sold a Mr. Mills the two houses for £1245.

What mortgage is on the premises? —£1200. I am losing just"on.£4oo on these two houses.

When did you raise the £1200 mortgage?— When we built them.

Mr. Scott maintained that to have the tenant ejected it wo ild be necessary to' call the evidence of the pnrch\aser_ to show that he was dissatisfied with the present condition of the premises. .

Defendant said the notice to quit was served on him on November 4. \He had been' unsuccessful in getting another house. His family numbered fourteen, and he had to look after three grandchildren, whose father (his son-in-law) had died during the epidemic. He bad lived in ihe house for nine years, but admitted that it was too small for him. He had no idea where to get another hous?, but would gladly take oiie if he could get it. It was owing to stress of circumstances and loss of trade that he had got behind in his rent.

To Mr. Findlay': There were four bedrooms in the house, in which eleven persons resided. One of the bedrooms could not be used. One of his sons was away at the war.

Mr. Findlay: The corporation insist that we must repair the house, and we cannot do so while you are. in the house. Can you su<rgf"=fc how we aro go'ng to comply with the corporation's order?

Defendant denied ( that he had damacred the place wilfully, and said that with such .4, large number of children it was wholly impossible vo avoid somo damage. The roof leaked a good deal, and other repairs wero necessary.

Frederick Potter, who stated that he acted as a temporary sanitaTv inspector during the epidemic; said he had inspected the house, which was badlv in need of repair and was one of the worst places he had seen. A small am'ount of damarre might have been done by the children, but the major part of it was due to natural decay.

"This in another of those unfortunate cases where the Court has to make en order for .possession," remarked Mr. Frazer. "One sympathises with the unfortunate position of the tenant. Thero are quite a number of grounds on which possession must be given. I' don't know how the. defendant is going to obtain a house to put his large family in, hut it is obviois that he cannot remain- in the present house, because we would onlv have the City Council moving ' under the Public Health Act to /have him put out if I refused to make an order. Considering the size of his family and the difficulty there must be iii getting another, house. I must give him a reasonable time."

Judgment was given te-r the amount of the rent claimed, and an order was made that possession of the house must be given up before February 14, the warrant not to issue before February 15, and to, he returnable within a, month of that (late. Costs amounting to £4 2s. were allowed to plaintiff.