A RETURNED SOLDIER'S CLAIM

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 205, 24 May 1919, Page 8

A RETURNED SOLDIER'S CLAIM

Sir,—lf ever a man deserved the thanks and sympathy of all returned soldiers and liie public for exposing a glaring injustice to himself, it is your correspondent, J. S. Fnirchild. llero is a man who, lo use his own words,' "voluntarily placed his services

lit the disposal-of the Minister of Dofence in 1'.1U," and is "ordered to provide equipment at his own expense," and spend "sumo <£120 on joining the Main Body, N./j.1i.F.," who can only recover .£5!;. I am surprised that not having ' given a receipt for the last amount jjaia I him (funny business this!) he ingeniously j places the fact on record. Through be- : ing on active service his dental plant is j desi roved by lire and ho loses "some 1 hufidrals of pounds." Surely this hardfisied Minister of Defence will reimburse Mr. I'airchild for this lots, as hud ho not been on active service lie would doubtless luivo had his property covered , by insurance. When a man leaves his i wifo and family the least the Govern-

ment can do is to sea that his property , is not destroyed l>y fire. And to think that when Mr. Fan-child, "for business reasons got leave to return to New Zealand via America," the Minister will not even grant anything towards Mr. Fnirchild's passage or that of his wife! No wonder you I' correspondent has a set on the Hon. the Minister, for does not thifi' same Minister grant steerage passages for tlus lowest 'Digger" via America—oven a thousand in a ship? . Why should not Mr. Fail-child and his wife have a "joy ride" via America, if ho wnnts to, nt tho country's expense? 1 am genuinely sorry about his brother, for the Pensions Board seem to have treated him scandalously, presumably on tho advice of tho Hon. tho Minister. I wonder how many dentists thcro nrc in America, and what proportion wont as Jlr. Fairchild did, 011 active sei'vicc._ i find on inquiry that there is both a New Zealand and a Wellinslon Dental Association, and I liopo, if the officials of either of these bodies seo this loiter, tliev at least will lend that "sympathy and offers of assistance" which your correspondent so richly deserves. If ever there was a clear case for the Returned Soldiers' Association to take up hero it is. A. man who probably received at the most only rESSA a year to be mulcted all round by ft callous and hard-hearted Minister. 1,-for-one, would gladly sign a petition to have tho Minister removed if only on hie scurvy treatment of Mr. Fairchild.—l am, etc., DIGGER.

Porirua, May 23, 1919.