IS MONEY NO OBJECT?

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8359, 20 February 1913, Page 8

IS MONEY NO OBJECT?

To the Editor "N.Z. Times." Sir, —The announcement that General Godley is to visit England should interest the taxpayers of this country, and doubtless would do eo if the Defence Act and its attendant waste were opposed rather than concealed by the press. As one of General Godley's paymasters, I would point out that that gentleman is in receipt of a salary of i'looo per annum, with .£2OO per annum house allowance ,and 25s per day travelling expenses. Quite recently h© paid a visit to Australia, ostensibly to inspect the Military College at Duntroon. No doubt he did look over the premises, but he also saw the Bandwick races and the Melbourne Cup, presumably on full pay! Just now we have a goodly number of officers in England at the taxpayers' expense, most of them persons who have never done anything in particular, and when the time is rip© for their return, no doubt another batch Trill replace them. Now comes the news that General ! Godley himself is to pay the Old Coun- ! try a visit, during which no dotrbt he will assist Lord Koberts and the ec-call-ed National Service League to push the cause of conscription in England. We can imagine how the general will figure at the' "non-party" meetings engineered by the wirepullers of the Tory party, who, having been routed in their attempt to raid the cupboards of the people, are just now putting all their tickets on conscription, the twin sister of 'tariff reform!" Of course nobody can complain if General Godley is to do this in his private capacity and at his own expense, but is he to visit England at the expense of the overtaxed and underpaid masses of this country? If so, we should be told the truth, and if our Parliament is at all worthy of the traditions of popular government, something will be said in protest, notwithstanding the pathetic plea of commonplace politicians that defence should not bo made a party question. . ~ As a matter of fact, in spite M the diplomatic assurance that General Godley is not leaving New Zealand permanently, there is a strong undercurrent of opinion that he is to alter h - s mind at the right moment, and that tie place he now fills ie to bo taken by a gentleman named Davies, who is already at Alde-rshot or somewhere else learning "military tactics" at our expense. Certainly that gentleman has earned promotion, for directly after his return from South Africa to thi6 country, he delivered a number of addresses in favour of conscription, only he called it "universal training." He did that too without a word of censure from the newspapers who tell us that public servants should not take part in politics! Anyhow, ho has doubtless proved himself by this time fit to succeed General Godley in the heroic work of .making war on the youth of this country. If it be true that he is to take the position, th© taxpayers j should be told, tn any case we have the right to know the rationale of General Godley's visit to England, and whether he is not "looking for a soft place to fall on."—l am, etc., P P. J, O'KEGAN. February 19th. [We would suggest to our correspondent that he is wrong in saying that Colonel Davies is paid by the New Zealand taxpayers. His salary is paid by the Imperial Government.—Ed. "N.Z. Times."]