“STILL THE BEST"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 42, 12 November 1937, Page 10

“STILL THE BEST"

Our Oivn CorrespoudDnt.)

BRITISH FORM OF GOVERN- . MENT

(From

WAIPUKURAU, Last Nighfc. Criticism ,of tho uniforms worn 13y , members of the Kew Zealand cQutingent at the receiit Goronation in England, which were termed "shabby" by some obserycrs, was referred to by Mr H. M. Ghristie, M.P., speaking at the annual re-union of the Waipukurau Retjirued Soldiers' Associatiou last uight. ''You probably heard something of that criticism," ha said. "I think mueh of it was unjustihed. The men were iu aervice uniforms, bat they had been carefully overhauled. by a first-class army tailor, a member of the Guarda, and, I believe, they fitted like a glove. ' ' The to&st of "Parliament" was proposed by Mr I. W. N. Maekie and responded to by Mr Chrisiie. Mr Christie said the toast was a difficult one to reply to in such a gathcringt but no doubt'the chairman would allow latitude. The machinery, he said, set up by Parliament for the assistance of returned soldiers by way of pensions was not as liexible as one would like it to be. Theru were au kinds of cases which it was unpossible to provide for in tho ordinary way. Iu rnauy instances men wero not suft'ering* from auy definite disubility, and among thnse pion bodies such as the Itetuniod Soldiers * Associatiou and tho War ReUof A'3socip,tiou were doing gQod work. Ouo thjug hq would like to soe rectified, ho said, wfts thpt nnles3 it cQuId bo proved that a rcturnod soldier's death was due to disabjlitjos roceived on activo service, his ponsion ceaSed when lie diod. Mr Christie gtj-vo an iHuStrp,tion of the hardship creatpd in snch a case. He was nqt blaming any Govqi'nment; hq ^said. but thp rcsponsibility was a heavy one. Quoting w qn example Germany's plifn tq inanufacture I4S,000 tons * .ot' ariiijcial wool this ye^r, hlr Christie said that tremondops chubges w'oro tuking plaee rapidly. "The man wbQ cqasiders that we can go back tq v/liore \ye wero' 25 ycars ago and earry on in the same old way. is going to cause copsiderable trouble." he said. " We h.ava to go fqrward. We will, certainly ni.ak.e ipistakes, probably we are making them lo-day, but whatevfir GoVernrfTent is in eontrol, it has to be progressive. Despite the changes that are taking place in government. 1 tliink we have reason to be proud of the form of government we have thropghout tho British Iljupiie, \Vhatevpr Tpay be said aboui Ireiiirudnr.s • iiaprovonJcntR in GormaDv, j?HW:,n and rtaly, J think it can still be eLiimod that, witli reasenable tolerance anh a reason able effort on the part of tho peoxjJe, the British form of goverumeiit is still the bcst._" s