SQUARING THE ACCOUNT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10288, 24 May 1919, Page 6

SQUARING THE ACCOUNT

It has been unreservedly admitted that the payment of ' certain moneys euacted after some thousands of our men had sailed for tho front must bs made in the case of those who started before tho enactment. That is just. But in computing the dates there nroae a difficulty. The accounts show the dates of embarkation easily, but it is in many cases difficult, if not; impossible, to find tho date of going into camp. Now there is a short way out of the difficulty. Such a vvay has been adopted, by fixing the date of pay from the date of embarkation. This way is open to the usual objection to short cuts, which is, that they are apt to lead to the wrong place. A short cut not open to that objection would be to trust to the honour of the men for tile. date of joining. They trusted, to the honour of the State from the first. When the call went forth, they asked no questions about anything—pay, back-pay, allowances, pensions, or any of the., crowd of possibilities before them —all grouped round the possibilities of casualty, which includes everything from a broken finger to sudden death.- They joined trusting to our honour. In this difficulty why not trust to their honour? To do so will bo to avoid the loss to many of their just due. It may incur the loss incidental to a mistako of memory or an error that cannot be called a mistake. But .that loss the character fjf our troops Guarantees as infinitesimal. Endorse it in manly fashion, trusting tho boys who have trusted us. Say'to them: "Take up thy bill and write/' and there will be applause from end to end of God's Own Country on behalf of the men who made its name immortal.