FURLOUGH PARTY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 5, 1 October 1943, Page 6

FURLOUGH PARTY

Statement Awaited By Men’s Relatives LEAVE PERIOD NEARLY UP (By Raxgi.) With the furlough party of the 2nd N Z E F due back in camp in the middle of October, an official statement .regarding its future is anxiously awaited by relatives of the men, specially , wivesDuring the election the Prime Mjnistci, Mr Fraser, stated that he would urge, and lie thought it would be accepted, that married men be given the opportunity ol staving if they did not want to go away again, and that he hoped it would ibe possible .-for all cases to be considered. He pointed out also that the furlough .party came homo on the understanding that they were on furlough, and unless trained men went back some other members ol the 2nd N.ZjE.F. would not be able to be given furlough. . He added that it might be necessary for appeal tribunals to sit and. if his Government was returned, the matter would have to be one of the first constatement, he said that the Government had never claimed that New Zealand could maintain a division in Europe and also keep its men in. the Pacific indefinitely. When the Middle East division was in northern Europe within a period of months the troops in tlie (Pacific would be used to strengthen the first division. . Whatever the Governments policy,, it is safe to sqy from the number ot inquiries made that the relatives of the men, in a personal sense, and the public generally are anxious for an early decision to end the uncertainty created by statements made during the election as against the unqualified announcement made when the men first came .back that at the end of their furlough they would return to their units in the Middle Bast. From a military viewpoint it has to be recognized, as distinct from the discussions about the relative sacrifice of those who went away first and those who remained at home in essential occupations, that the furlough men are battle-trained soldiers. It was pointed out by a high military authority in (New Zealand a tew months ago that the Allied armies, despite their present strength and potential strength, require ’battle-trained; troops to act as the spearhead of any important operations. With their experience, they can take the first shock of the attack and "ive the less experienced troops.a chance to find their feet. Every trained man who does not return has to be replaced bv a man still to be acclimatized and given the stiff Middle East training before he can take his place in a line battalion. Under normal circumstances,. unless there is need to rush recently arrived reinforcements quickly to - the front, this training takes several months, and. there is more of it if the .services Of. the new men are not immediately required m a wVtetted by Mr. Fraser .to be only natural if there were men in industry who could replace, the furlough men that there was a feeling this should be done, but the most he could say was that the matter was being examined. This is a point which has considerable public interest, but to take men out of industry and even train them only to the point of fitness to take their place in reinforcements would take several months. They would now be held on appeal and their employers, as the. position now stands, would have the opportunity m having the position reviewed by the appeal boards. „ , From the viewpoint of public sentiment there is no doubt an overwhelming reeling that at least married men, specially those wifh families, should not have to "o to the war twice while others have not gone at all, but harder and more practical considerations of the needs o. the present also must enter into tne matter and possibly take precedence. The sitting of appeal tribunals to deal with the cases of those who do not wish to return does not find favour with men who went away as early volunteers. Many feel this would, up to a point, place tnem in the category of objectors to service and a straight-out line of demarcation bv the Government, on the basis ot domestic responsibilities end length oi service, would no doubt be preferred and find general approval. . As for the reinforcement of the present Middle East Division from, the Pacific, the point now arises, with the announcement that New Zealand troops m the Pacific have moved to a forward as to how far this will be practicable if the Pacific men get started on the Japanese. Such fighting* would mean that the Pacific troops would also require . reinforcements. If the scale of operations was anything like big and the casualties correspondingly heavy, the Pacific zone could not for long reinforce both lts front line troops and the Middle East Division. ,