SOLDIERS DEMONSTRATE.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 12 September 1919, Page 4

SOLDIERS DEMONSTRATE.

ONE THOUSAND STRONG. f L _ j / UNSEEMLY PROCEEDINGS. I AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE. IA deputation of upwards of a thousand soldiers marched from the elub- : house at Wellington on Wednesday at ; 5.30 p.m. to bring before the political leaders a request that the war gratuity j should be oil'a basis of £l5O for each soldier with two years' service. The ! public thronged the route and followed the procession to the Parliament buildi iiigs, where th'ey were met by Mr '■:, ilasscy, Sir Joseph Ward, Mr Holland, j and members of both Houses. The

i Leaders were greeted with cheers, hoots I and general uproar. 1 Mi- Massoy appealed for quiet, and his efforts were supplemented by the spokesmen of the deputation, but all to no avail. |; Mi'' Massoy exclaimed: "This is simply impossible! I refuse to listen," and suggested that the spokesmen be received hi the Cabinet room. This

was agreed to, but the .crowd remained in a boisterous mood, hooting and yelling being interspersed with tunes by the pipe band which had led-the pro-

Tile speakers were introduced by Mr Aldritch, secretary of the Wellington lleturned Soldiers' Association, who drew attention to the resolution passed by the Wellington branch at the Town Hall meeting, in which it was resolved that the soldiers demand £l5O by way of gratuity tor each soldier on two years' service out. of New Zealand, such amount to be more or less according as the length of is more or less than two years, and every soldier to be put on equal footing as to rank.

Captain Sievwriglit, who was the first speaker, repeated the, arguments

adduced by him at the Town Hall meeting, the main point being that the returned soldiers, being eight per cent of'the population, should receive eight per cent of the £150,000,000 added to the Dominion's values as the result of winning Hie war.

Mr Massoy, in reply, said if there was any idea on the part of the soldiers that the Government did not intend to do everything that was fair and just, he hoped they would get rid of that idea as soon as possible. The reason that the question of gratuities had not been settled before this was the (absence of the Leaders on the other side of the world, where they Here doing their duty in another way. His colleagues here had held the matter up till their return. The same thing had happened in Australia owing to the absence of Messrs Hughes and Cook. The attitude of the Government was favourable to the returned soldiers, a proof of which was that when vacancies occurred in the Ministiy re-

eeritly he had appointed two returned soldiers to Ministerial positions. They were Government men, and the soldiers could rely on them looking after their interests. Fault had been found with the land settlement, policy of the Government, but a great work was really being dune. In addition to'those being settled on the hind, 2000 men were learning trades. He considered that it •might not he advisable to permit soldiers to sell the land for some time, lie knew in many cases that if they were allowed to sell it to-day thcy could make a large profit on the purchase price.- As to delay, he had been looking into the gratuities scheme, and mn till then, did he realise the complexity of the task in front of the Minister 'of Defence, than- whom no man had worked harder for the soldiers. The proposals probably would come before Cabinet in a week or perhaps ten days, when the representations made by the deputation would receive careful consideration. He thought lie could promise that the Government proposals would give general satisfaction to the community at large, and to the returned soldiers in particular.

sir Josepli Ward said that he could nor settle the gratuities question, except so far as ;ui individual member of Parliament could help. He must wait and see what proposals the Government Brought down, but he was.prepare'.! to assist the soldiers.

f Mr Holland said that the Labour 'Party would stand for the fulfilment of every obligation to the returned soldiers. "Whatever their views on the war were, they stood by them, and they 'had insisted upon an 'adequate wag« for the soldier, and while one man was required to give his life the other should be compelled to give up his money. The Labour Party would place ro obstacles in the way of the Government fulfilling its obligations to the returned soldiers, though he realised that no money payment could adequately recompense the men who went into the frcneiles. ' Mr J. McKenzie said that he deprecated the use of the word "gratuity," as what they were asking was a reward for service, not charity. Only the man who had made any sacrifices during the war was the soldier. "While he was away fighting others who had remained at home working had made huge profits. Retailers were making larger profits than ever before. Meal | growers v. ere not satisfied with 45 per cent, but demanded and got 55 per i cent. Three millions had been paid to i the Union Company for the charter of f ships, to they had made no sacrifice*; !but the soldier could not participate in 'these profit's. AYhat they were now asking ior was something to make up for their lost opportunities.