THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, THURSDAY, July 13, 1916 THE SLACKERS AND MARRIED MEN.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 13 July 1916, Page 2

THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, THURSDAY, July 13, 1916 THE SLACKERS AND MARRIED MEN.

IT is, and has been all along, since the Dominion commenced to send contingent after contingent to the seat of war, a crying shame that the authorities have allowed thousands of slackers to play the coward's game, and to so readily allow the ranks to be filled up by married men with families for the State to keep, and thus adding so considerably to the expense incurred in keeping up the supply of men. It would be an excellent eye-opener if some Member of Parliament were to ask, and obtain, from the Minister for Defence, a return of the number of single men who have enlisted, and the number of married men —plucky fellows, most of them—with families, together with the total number of children they have left behind for the State to maintain, and the total amount involved, to include the maintenance of the women of course. We feel certain that it is enormous, and mostly brought about by the slackers, some of whom we know personally, to be absolutely hiding away in Auckland suburbs. The Government had no right to let married men with two, three, four, and as many as five and six children, go to the war, when there are so many slackers about that only require to be hauled out of their haunts. lib stands to reason also, that so many married recruits having gone to the war, very many children have been left fatherless, thus throwing a still heavier burden upon the State. If the ECHO ha d a say in the matter, we would not accept the services of another married man who was leaving a child behind, until every single slacker was rooted out, and every Austrian made to shoulder-arms as well.