THE MEN IN EGYPT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 219, 10 June 1919, Page 6

THE MEN IN EGYPT

I ,„ Sir i7 ;l 9 uite timo we had something definite as regards the return of our men. m Egypt. Tha mothers and wives of those men have been looking from day to day and week to wcok for a notice that ships havo left via Suez, but in vain, during the war we were continually hearing what a terrible coumtry Egypt was-full of vice, temptation, dirt, and disease. Tho death-rate was heavy enough last year, and it will bo the same agam this year if they aw a 0 fl J?y there another summer. Tho .Australians can get boats to bring them nome. They must have different men at their headquarters than the New Zen* landers have, as our boys are beaten every time, and in everything. Why should that bo? The excuse is tliero are no boats. The Imperial Government can find plenty to bring tho men from England. ' Why oannot our Defenco Minister demand two to bring the rest of the men from Egypt? Also, if New Zealand men are neccssary iu Egypt, why not leavo some of the men who have .never seen fighting, but havo had a, practically good time in tho Old Country,, to take their places? I -am speaking with good cause, as my son enlisted tho first week of the war, and. was ona of tho Wellington Mounted Rifles 'who volunteered when wanted to fight on Gal. lipoli, and has been iu Egypt ever sincei. -4 am, etc., • THE MOTHER OP A MAIN BODY TEOOPEK, Juno 9, 1919. Sir,—lt is quite evident from the overseas shipping, list that the statements made by the Minister of Defence regarding' tho repatriation of the men in Egvpt are.no moro to be relied upon-than the promises which havo been made eo often to the men themselves and broken' as ofton. , If a thousand are to bo homo this month, and a thousand next iuonth, they ought all to be on tho sea now, but although every few days a transport leaves England for ■ Now Zealand, via Panama, none, are reported from Port Said. Certainly Sir James Allen ad. mitted that tho return of tho troops in June and' July was not definite, but he cannot expect that the relatives of tha men will .be satisfied with this persistent evading of tho question. And meanwhilo the' hot season- has come round again, with its serious menace to health—Jane, July, and August being tho most severe months in Egypt. After the terriMo losses among our .Expeditionary Force it is hardly credible that the hiilitary authorities should still further jeopardise tho ' lives of tho New* ' Zealand Mounted Rifles by leavilig them yet another summer in that most unhealthy climate. Shipping may bo a difficulty to some extent, but when one reads ill the papers of tho number of boats 'set apart for the repatriation of the Australasian troops one feels that tho delay is due more to" carelessness and indifference than to lack of transport. That tha Devon was allowed to leavo Egypt witli twenty men on board does not lend much support to tho Government's assurances that everything -possible is being done tq get tho men home. Neither can the March riots bo assigned as the cause of the delay, ft there is evidence that demobilisation has been going on in Egypt for some weeks past. The Orari left Port Said last month vrtli returning Australian troop?, in this morning's Dominion wo read of 1500 troops from Egypt having arrived at Plymouth and s. football team from tlia Auckland"Mounted has w England. Surely something can bo dono to remedy this grave injustice, if not from this end, by' Mr. Massey:-! am, etc AHi x «A 1 • [It is quite time, as our numerous correspondents have pointed out, that tho Government took some definite action respecting the return of our troops in Effypt. There can ho no ffood reason for tho delay in security definite information on tho subject.]