GRATUITIES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 1, 26 September 1919, Page 8

GRATUITIES

Sir,—During the past few weeks the above subject has been much to the fore in the deliberations of the W.R.S.A. The agitators and tho leading part taken has been by members of the association who hithertofore have never by ono single act evinced the slightest desire to assist in the welfare of their fellow returned soldiers. But the instant the time comes when there is an opportunity to demand cash for their own pockets, and to bring themselves prominently before the public as champions of returned men, they are suddenly filled with enthusiasm.

The Government propose to grant a sum of Is. Cd. per day. I havo spoken to at least 10 men, and not eight disapproved. Yet a certain Mr. Sievwright, who has taken on the jole of leader in this agitation, frames a motion demanding 2s. per day, and another 2s. payable in live years. This is seconded by a Mr. M'Kenzic, who complains that comparing our pay with the Australian pay, it means a gratuity of only Gd. Of. course he has nothing to say about the millions jof English "Tommies" who received about, Is. JM. a day pay, and gratuity of d'sd. This motion is carried. I am convinced that if you could get hold of every man in that audience that night and have a quiet yam, 80 per cent, would admit tho Is. Cd. to bo a fair amount. But because a couplo of noisy talkers, with no sense of a fair thing, get up and harangue about what "we havo suffered and done for our country," etc., the crowd loso all idea of proportion and vote as the speakers desire thorn to. Sir, my object in writing this letter is a double one-(l) I want the people of Wellington and the Government to know that every reasonably-minded returned man is quite satisfied with this Is. Gd. (2) I want a word or two re .Messrs. Sievwright and M'Kenzio. These persons in. public meeting, attended by the Press, have made more or loss personal attacks against members of the N.Z.R.S.A. and W.R.S.A., and theso bodies as a whole. Thev have formulated a motion to.have, the affiliation of tho W.R.S.A. with the N.Z.R.S.A. cancelled. Also that the Wellington Association report at the next meeting various details re the war services of the members of the- N.Z.R.S.A. Can any honourable person deny that this sort of thing is not going to kill the w.b.A. movement; or assert that it comes from men single-minded in their protestations of loyalty to U.S.A. members? let the gentlemen who aroresponsible are parading as champions of their !e"oiv-ox-.,oldiers. What is tho reason, Mr. Editor? Has one, or the other, or both, any personal ambition to serve? rho near future will tell. One question Mr. Sievwright asks particularly interested me. That is the ono re war service. Anything more objectionab'e than questions such as this stems hard to imagine. Ear from ono to three years, these U.S.A. officials have given a great deal of time and labour— ireo-working in the interests of returned men and their depoulants (including the men who are attacking them), and yet the bulk of the men at the meetings are satisfied to sit tight and back up a couple of noisy members, and turn down the men who have worked really hard and well in their interests. True, several members have received Government positions. But is not this one of tho very points we all demand of the Government —that where possible a job be given to a returned man, if one is offering and lit for the job? And these mischiefmakers try to make mud out of it, and the boys aro weak enough not to resent such actious. If these persons had 'played the game," they would havo gono to tho U.S.A. and got all the information they wanted in a proper manner, without stirring up strife at open meetings, an action that has already done us injury. Now that Mr. Sievwright has asked this question of other people, who havo done work to lie proud of, is it not fair to ask: What has he done? . . . If our Wellington men are mado of the tamo stuff as the men 1 have served with, on two fronts, they will soon get ■ •?, a ,!!, (1 s ' ve Mr - Sievwright a short shrilt. Tho W.R.S.A., as tho result of the actions ot a few men, is to-day in the melt-ing-pot, and I beg every honest "Digger" to come to light and play the game, and give these men who are doing us no good a clean knock-out. And if any of you doubt the good work of the R.S.A., go along to the secretary, and I undertako to say you will get information that will mako you realiso that Teturned soldiers owe a debt to the officials of the R.S.A. If I have said anything in this letter that is unfair to Mr. Sievwright I will bo the first to apologise. Ido not know Mr. M'kenzie, but I would not bo surprised if his part was not equally interesting.—l am, etc.,

W. JOHNSON. [We have omitted from this letter certain references comparing individual war services. It is true that some of thosa who are criticising the executive of the U.S.A. have hiul (he ill-taste to raiso such issues, and might justly be subjected to similar questioning concerning their war services, but this line of disputation should bo avoided if possible.]