RETURNED SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 211, 1 June 1920, Page 6

RETURNED SOLDIERS

[>. -ANNUAL CONFERENCE ! REFERENCES TO "POLITICAL GHOST", !'■"' 3r PRESIDENT SAYS IT IS DEAD ■■ ■■ ■.;■". '..v. ■ I ]■/ i ■ ;. c i -_ _—— ,-• . j ..' Ihe_ annual conferenco of the New Returned Soldiers' Association ;■• 'was 'continued yesterday, Dr.. E. Boxer f: presiding. i ;. ■ The, morning session was devoted to >"■•■ consideration of the annual report, exi - tracts from'whioh were published in yesterday's Dominion. _ • i .In moving tho adoption of tho report, 'Dr. Boxer said that in the past year '.. they had. been so taken up with internal • matters that.they had''not given the ■ fullest attention to matters affecting reI:.'■"■ turned soldiers as a whole. Ho thought ;"■' that they hnd now got. rid of the "polli:V • tical ghost."-' Tho matter of politics had been . thoroughly 'discussed at the ' October conference, but he thought they could consider the matter closed. !'■'■■*• No, never. v -.' , "'Dr.-' Boxer replied that the evidence ':' brought out at various times tended to ;'■■ prove what he had said. Tn other |. ; countries where Teturned soldiers had ;•''••' attempted polilicd organisation their ;'.■ objects had failed. Colonel Grieg, mili- !' ' ,'tary secretary to the Prince of Wales, ;■''" l had informed him that in every other ; : : .. country, as far. as he knew, where returned soldiers' associations had been .formed bv and through political agen--1 cies. particular associations found them- ; selves up against other associations i which had been fathered bv other poli- • : tical agencies. Colonel Grigg had stated '..-•" that in New Zealand th'ev were working j.; upon 'absolutely firm and sound ground i . ':if, 'by remaining "air things to all men," thev could do some good for re- ': ' tuined soldiers as a whole. ' , Mr., T. Loti? (Te Arohai): That is a i'..-,.' debatable point, sir. /..";•' ;-D_r. Boxer said that Colonel Grigg had f indicated that had the association been

a political concern the Prince of Wales could not, under any consideration, have accented the association's badoro and would not have become one of themselves. Colonel Grigg stated distinctly that 'it was absolutely impossible for the Prince to associate himself in any , way with any political institution whatsoever. . . , Discussing other matters, Dr. Boxer said-that the Government had recognised the association in many ways, and. he wanted to nay a "tribute to the-Gov-'eminent-and. Departmental officials- who had ;helped them in no small degree throughout the year, He also referred to-the questions of repatriation, nen-

?sions, the' suspension of the provisions 'of the D.S.S. Act, knd, and other matters, his remarks upon which are reported under separate headings. He 'concluded by expressing regret that niaDy "old hands" who had for so many years'helped the association would be passing out of active work on the executive, and he trusted that their memory would bo kept green. (Hear, Lear.)

, A National Outlook. , Mr. R. B. Bell (Wairoa) 'thought the association could congratulate. itself on having reached such a' large membership. ;. It had always seemed to him that the association had been neglectful of publicity in the past, and he trusted that the new executive would do its utmost to impress the publio imagination with the influence and status;of- the association. One could not "help thinking: that there was a great.future for the organisation if it continued on tho lines it had begun. Special emphasis should be laid on the unselfish work' performed by the executive. .The association had a great deal still to do in the matter of pensions, the welfare of T.B. men, and land settlement. They must strive even nioro than in the past to maintain- a national outl66k,'."ahrKthe.y must trv to~ get pay. ment. of-their just debts. But they must put first the interests of the Do-

minion as a whole, and their own im-

, : mediate -interests second. , It .was to | 1 •be'./fegrotted that they we're losing tho services of Mr. C. W." Batten on the ' tyceoutivo. Also, they were, sorry to note the absence'of Mr. N. B. M'Callum,\:of. Christchurch, who had done much hard work for the association. Mr. '. Bell-concluded by .complimenting the late' general Mr. D. J. B. Seymour, for his many valued services to the association. -Mr. P.-H. ".Watts (Wnikato) said .ho thought there was grave danger of the people thinking that the returned soldiers were of. opinion that they had done t their duty by the country. The people should be impressed with the '. fact that the returned men were still anxious, to .'do their duty' to the Dominion "and-.would continue to do their "best for. it. (Hear, hear.) -Mr.-TJV...E. Leadley (Christchurch) said 'he considered it a very disappointing feature that, the special committee set up to deal,with gratuity anomalies had not yet ( met.' That was very serious, because'alli'over the country tiers were soldiers : waiting for tho decisions of the committee; on matters that thad been plated' before it. He condemned the aetion, ; pf the Government in temporarily withdrawing the benefits under the D.S.S.'Act and contended that the matter had been handled very unsafe fectorilyby the Minister of Lands. Ho thought the association should go in for a" comprehensive policy regarding invmi- . grotion, and it also should take up a decided stand with regard to the high cost of living. ;;Mr..E. W.lnder (Auckland) thought the association should press for definite decisions upon certain matters that had com© under its purview. A number of - members,were under tho impression that the work'of the association had been pratstically- completed because they, "as individuals, had got all thev expected to '. get in.the way of repatriation, gratuities, and pensions. They had. got to get that'idea out of .the heads of mem- • bers.'.; 'The'association was the largest 1 ..organisation in the country and they should use it for carrying out all the -, national ideals that they considered v'buld be for the benefit of the country. , Mr. P. Pirani (Peilding) put in a plea for the establishment of a publioity agency to place tho ideas of the . ( .'association before the country. Mr. E.'P. Andrews (Bav of Islands) considered that there had been too much of a "go-slow" policy during the past \year. Ministers of the Crown should be made to know that the association wanted something more than "earnest consideration'" for its desires. (Hear, hear.) Tho "Ghost" a Reality, "Dr. Boxer has mentioned what he calls the 'political ghost/ I want to assure him' that the 'ghost' is a Teality," • remarked Mr. John I. Pox (British section). The Government Bhould be compelled to carry out all the promises that had been made to the soldiers .when they went away to the war. Mr. J. D. Harper (Wellington) submitted that every step had been taken to bring resolutions of previous conferences under the notice of the Government. What more could' be expected? It had to be remembered that 6ince the October conference Parliament had not met and many resolutions of the association could not be given effect to , except by legislation. Unity was essential if all the objects of the association wero to be attained.

Mr. D. J. B. Seymour (Waipawn) considered that the association had not yet got down to solid principles to test every demand that was brought forward on behalf of the' returned soldier. Problems had been tackled in too piecemeal a fashion. Tho executive should be given nlmost unlimited powers, as in tho past it had hesitated to take certain Bteps because it feared the attitude of oome district associations. Mr.' Long said the Government was to bo condemned for things it had not done.. They did not want charity from the Government and he would never bo content with the mere statement of any Cabinet Minister that had been spent on returned soldiers. (Hear, hear.) , ■ i ''Several'other speakers took part in the'- discussion, after which the report was adopted unanimously. The. deliberations of tho conference for the rest of tho day wero in committe.