RED TAPE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 6709, 30 May 1900, Page 4

RED TAPE.

The force of red tape can surely go no further than in the case of Private Hammond, which has been brought to light by a London journal. Private Hammond belongs—or he belonged—to E Company of the Ist Scots Guards He was among the first of his battalion to proceed to the frost, and during Lord Methuen's operations on the Modeler Eiver b.3 received a wound which necessitated his removal to the base hospital at Cape Town. Thence he was sent Home, and after a short stay at Netley was discharged as cured, ani sent on to Wellington Barracks, wbere the 3rd Battalion of his regiment is in residence. But then his troubles began. No member of the Ist Battalion is in London, and when Private Hammond inquired where he was to find food and lodging he was sent from serg6ant-major to sergeant-major without any satisfactory result. "They told me," he said, (>i might find a bed when somebody wa-

1 h\ve no and can to obtained leave and in town I should >, as to botkjifid ' hardly the treatment; be meted out to one who h^s be&n wounded in his country's service. (Hammond was discharged from NetleyXon the 20tb of March, and be -cannot even obtain his pay, for no company in London have bis name upon their rolls. He is simply a military derelict whom nobody owns, but he is still a soldier of the Queen, now apparently in the bast of health. The military authorities ought surely to be able to decide the future^status of a man who deaerve3 well of his country, even although he may be the only representative of his battalion in the barracks I that refuse* to provide for him. I Another case of official neglect on allfours with that of Private Hammond is that of Private Pell, who was ia the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and served seven years in lodia. Coming Home about nine month? ago, he started in a small business, but was called upon with the reserves for South Africa. He was wounded at Modder Eiver and invalided Home. As soon as convalescent Pell was sent from Netley to his depot— The authorities there, Hoover, declared that they did not ksow him, and therefore could not give him any pay that might; be due to him. fl?rom the time of joining until six weeks /ago the only D ay Pell received was 2s. After hanging about the barracks for some time, he succeeded in borrowing £4, and came home to London on furlough for two months. The only ;*rticle;j>f clothing belonging ta> his regiment he had on wh?n he estfene Home was a forage cap, the rest off his attire being made up from different regiments, ♦ad included a pair of boots too large for him. This case and that of Hammond are h'oT\»aolatßq'^tnßiape§r~'of~ official neglect oi wounded men from the front;, but these two cases are sufficient to show that " the Absent-minded Beggar" is not confined to the ranks. Whilst on the subject of red tape, I may mention that last week, in answer to a question why Lord Methuen had been soloug in sending ia a report of the battleJof Magersfonfcein, Mr Wyndham (Under-Secretary for War), said that his first report had been returned to him, and he gave as one of the reasons for this that the paragraphs had not been numbered. who ordered the report fo be returned, and put forforward this a4 one of the grounds, certainly d^jftfVOT a prominent niche in the Temple 'ct Red Tape.—Dunedin Star correspondent.