TROUBLE WITH A DRAFT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 140, 8 March 1919, Page 8

TROUBLE WITH A DRAFT

MEN ON PORT MELBOURNE "BREAK SHIP" OBJECT TO OFFICIAL DELAYS RUFFLED FEELINGS IN j AUCKLAND By Telegraph—Frees Association. , Auckland, March 7. Tho Port Melbourne berthed at 7 o'clock this morning. The returned soldiers aboard showed great impatience owing to the delay caused by quarantine restrictions and "boarding/' though they had already been "boarded" during the , voyage. Tlie first batch of Auckland ir.en were landing on the wharf when the southern men aboard broke tho gangway ,'barrier and rushed on to the wharf, tho Auckland men in the wharf shed then walked off tlie wharf, saying the stall had taken half an hour to pass four men, and they were not going to wait any was dispatched by tho Mayor to the Minister of Defence as follows :-"I regret to complain on behalf of the soldier?, as well as the next-of-kin and the citizens, about the continued muddle of the Defence authorities with regard to the landing of returning drafts. Boarding arrangements in connection with the Port Melbourne vcre completed on the ship, and after full investigation of responsible officers returning to-day J am satisfied that such was effectively do.iu, and the men paid up to March 15, m accordance with orders issued on Owiup »n the eontinned lack of co-ordination between the Home and the local authorities, which should not exist after three years experience of returning drafts, all tlus v ork hn& been abandoned. A. second boarding ha= been attempted here, with a result that tho soldiers are reasonably and exdissatisfied, and have in considerable numbers broken from the ship, causing confusion and disturbing arrangements* In spile repeated requests and your undertaking to endeavour to have this work done on the voynge, the muddle continues, afil undue delay wa;' occasioned to tho men yesterday, who. it appears, quite without wairant, weie subjected to twenty-four hours useless de; tion under the guise of- quarantine. I resoectfnlly suggest that these conditions call for your urg-mt action with a view to remedying them. ind removing the causes of' dissatisfaction to 'olr.iers sinrt citizen alike." • i c •V statement setting forth the point of view of the local Defence authorities, was made bv Captain E. J. Browning, Assistant Adjutant-General, oil behalf of Colonel TT Ji. Potter,, commanding tho district. Tie raid that on Wednesday evening a wireless message was received from the officer commanding ihe' troops on tho Port Melbourne to the effect thnt Hie whole of the medical boarding and the is9uo of certificates and travelling warrants hod been completed, and that, at the conclusion of the quarantine period tho tiroops could be landed without delay. The local Defence authorities, in order to satisfy themselves that the medical boarding had been completed satisfactorily, sent, an officer to the ship as soon as noasible after her arrival, and lie obtained the whole of the files of the men on board. Those nmi it was at onco seen that the' New Zealand requirements had not been met in many respects, though excollent work had been performed by tlie members nf tho ship's staff, who had carried out the instructions received More leaving England to tho letter. Colonel Potter secured the services of a voluntary staff with the intention of endeavouring to put. tho men's papers in order. so thnt no delnv would tako place in disembarkation, but it. wag found that the men would have to be individually dealt with on 'arrival in order that the nccessary adjustments could be made. It was therefore decided that the men should bo medically reboarded in Auckland. Otherwiso the .utmost. confusidn would have prevailed. Captain Browning said that in Wellington n voluntary boarding Plalf was permitted to cany out its work du.ring the period of quarantine. A similar request liad been made to tho Auckland Heal 111 authorities, and had been'declined on the ground thai; thoro was no authority for allowing such a course. ftem'esentations wero then made by Colonel Potter to the Health authorities in Wellington, with a view to obtaining permission for a voluntary staff to work during part of the quarantine period, so thrtt when the transport berthed on Friday morning the men comld bo' dismissed at once. This Suggestion could not be carried into effect as the local Health authorities had been instructed to take certain health precautions before any communication was allowed with persons on shore. All that therefore remained was fa' the boarding to be carricd out after the ship berthed. The apparent delay complained of by the men was occasioned by tho ship's staff failing to parade the men in the order in which the Medical.Boiftd papers had been arranged.' A voluntary staff was ready to commence work at 8 a.m. When the boarding did actually commence tho work was done in record time, approximately 900 men being dealt willi in four hours. Staff officers, sneaking of the trouble with the Port Melbourne troops, said they refused to take any responsibility. Tho dono on the voyage was according to instructions issued in Ensland. and it was thoroughly and efficiently done according to those instructions, but it did not accord with the'instructions issued here. Tho Now Zealand authorities refused to accept it, and insisted on a reboarding. It is stated that tho local military staff in Wellington has a permit to go aboard a' transport while she is going through Quarantine, to fix up papers, during tiib 2t hours' detention, but tlie Publio Health authorities in Auckland refused to allow the military authorities to go near tho Port. Melbourne during her quarantine. This was one of the primary causes of to-day's disturbance. Most of the troops who broke bounds o'i the wharf returned and went through I the routine, which was completed quietly. | A story is told of a carousal amongst the liquor and stores in the shin's hold dur- . ing the vovage, which resulted in a levy 1 on the whole of thp men of fourteen pence to make un the damage, which was estimated at .£7O. 1 There are two cot cases—one of pneu- ' monia and one of mumps; otherwise the health of the troops is finite satisfactory ' During the voyage Private E. H. r Smith, of Auckland, died of pneu--1 monia on February 8, and was buried .. at sea.