HOME SERVICE MEN AND GRATUITIES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 20, 18 October 1919, Page 5

HOME SERVICE MEN AND GRATUITIES

Sir.—l liayo followed with interest tin letters in the different noivspapirs on the matter of home service men's gratai- 1 . ties, and have to thank "Equity" (wno.; I understand, is an overseas returned soldier) for unselfishly taking up the 6tand and pleading on their behalf.. • ' I am on« of the home service men's wives. I think that the burden of these • women during tho war has been a heavy one. To begin -with, the allotment of an overseas man's wifo was 3s. a day nnd Is. 6d. for each child. The home service man's wife got Is. per day .and 9d. ifor each child. Also, tho wife of a homo service man. must have had .additional expenditure owing to tho man j beinsr often his home, and I have 7' heard of no daily ration allowance being made when thoy loft camp for a few da vs. Incidentally in my own case (and I know of others), if a woman were able to apply for clerical work to the Government. she was informed that only tho wife of an overseas man was considered, find she was therefore ineligible. I fail to see that the wife of a private, unless she did some outside work, could possibly maintain a home decently on tho ss. a day, with her Is. a day allotment. Tho comparison with regard > to'gratuities has been ably discussed by \ "Equity." Hero, again, it will bo the wives who will equally suffer. Wo do not disparage the work of the overseas , soldier, who stood by his country in the hour of-need, but I think it is a piece of gross (injustice to pass over both these home seryice men and their wives in tlip matter of allotments and gratuities. I have written to a Labour member (Mr. Eraser) and a liberal member (Mr. Wilt'ord). and had no reply. J also wrote to Sir James Allen, begging him \ that some consideration in the way of Ertituities or allotments bo meted out to homo service men or their wives,#and I received a courteous reply that he re.' gretted to say that the matter was now closed, and no allowance could bo made in either case. However, if-1 have been unsuccessful some other home service man's wife may be more alqnninted with the methods of obtaining redress from these men of adamant who control affairs in New Zea- ■ land, and think of something that may move the hard decision of Sir James Allen and his colleagues to give us the samo recognition as they have had in England and Canada. I have not been long over from Australia, and if I judge rightly, it. is pre£ty certain home service men will get a hearing over there. To dato in this country neither they nor V' t'rieir" wives havo had. what may be termed "a squaro deal."—l am. ptc., PERSISTENT.