MILITARY POLICE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 199, 17 May 1919, Page 8

MILITARY POLICE

! DEMOBILISATION OF nOME .SERVICE ! MEN

CLAIMS OF RETURNED

SOLDIERS

As has been already announced, it is the'Jntention of the military authorities to replace by returned soldiers tho liomo service members of' th<> Now Zealand Military Police Force. Yesterday 2S noncommissioned officers and men ot tho New Zealand Military Police who aro under orders to demobilise on liicstlny next were paraded at 'Buckle Street Hall for tho medical inspection that is one of the preliminaries to demobilisation. When the demobilisation of the 28 has been- completed there !will.lac no homo service men remaining in the force that is to polico the Wellington Muitaij JJisof ,tho men paraded alleged that they' had a griovance, and they were not inclined, to bo reticent about it. ■The burden of their complaint was that thev had rendered service entitling them to more consideration than thoy i«ie ■ receiving. . In conversation with a JJOjiiniok reporter, a sergcaitt. of police observed tliat quite' a'number of his confreres' ' :, wbre' ribands indicating, that they .had had service abroad in form ®: wars. At least one wore the "band of the Egyptian Campaign otheis wore the' King's and Queen s South rican medals, others had seen service in India. Some had received decoration tor - o ' D 'l joined the Military Police when the force, was Anathema, when we were the Islimaels of every unit, _was tie expression of ono who was awal "*}K, doctor's summons.. 1 bccame a ""W"? policeman in troop trains from Tronthain every night and the hotels remained open till 10, said another, who evidently t!hou o :ht that -tho strenuous times ho had seen shoiild. Imv6 warranted his retention, let an'other pointed out that the new scale of pay for the Military Polico had only wme into operation in December, 1918, and tho'old hands .who were being demobilised had therefore had little opportunity of benefiting, wider.-it. ® » the older men argued that-if .tWhnd been' unable to go abroad them-e . they had at least given their sons to tlie^ - Provost-Marshal, Lieut. •Frickleton,' V.C.';,' told the. 1 Dominion representative that liv -his opinion th men who • were being demobilised hail little'to coniplain about. ' They had been pretty' 'well treated. Not all • the >retamed men " who had escaped wounds were able to settle down in civil occupations at once. Many of theni had had their nerves badly shaken by protiacted spells under tire, and employment tor If'time" in the Military Police Force would assist them to return.to normal before thby went out'into 1 tho civilian world again, 'lit any case, returned, men were coming forward arid offering themselves as recruits, and since the order 'to demobilise the home service_ men-hiwJ been issued twelve retuviied soldiers had feeen taken- on the strength! of the force in Wellington. Appointments were made with ■ discrimination, but plenty of suitable applicants wero forthcoming. Alter demobilisation the men who were going out. received 28 days' full pay, which gave them time to look about for. em:ployment..elsewhere; •