New Zealand

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 22, 31 December 1915, Page 6

New Zealand

RETURNED SOLDIERS.

■ __ - ; Jfo BROKEN GOVERNMENT •' promises. - mi" •• - i., ■ |f;; THE MESSING ALLOWANCE OF 2S PER DAY. H Pbb Pbess Association. ; v- Wellington, December 30. r* “We feel strongly that the Government has'not treated ns fairly at all; 'in fact, that it has been playing fust |r ; and loose with ns. The way in which promises made to us have been broken is enough to cause any man to think |l' twice before enlisting.” ir This statement was made to-day by . a soldier who returned wounded from .the front, at the end of October, and i,' who said he spoke on behalf of a number of others who are in the same I ‘position as himself. The main complaint on which he based' his strictures | was in regard to non-payment of messing allowance of 2s per day, which | . Was promised those wounded men who | do- not have to go into hospital, but | • are able to live in their own homes ■while recovering front injuries. He described Ills own cstse, saying it was j typical of many others. , After spending three months in Safe; moa with the' advance party he ob--s■’.-tained permission to return to New Zealand and enlisted, wjth the Second ’ Reinforcements. l He,fought on. Galli-

p‘\poli for a* little over .thrpp. months, was wounded, and came hack -in the b' . ' Tofua on October’2Gth; As he' was not ill enough to go into hospital he has been living wftli his wife-anil children', whom he lias been endeavouring |j V to keep on his pay allowance of os per day, though' he was definitely prornised an additional 2s per day as ration t money (the promise was repeated b\ fi. :an officer of the transport ps it neared I' New Zealand), and though repeated had been made for it this lli allowance has never, been .paid. All i#{h»t ; they could Hear of was an undertaking that payments would begin on January Ist; iit.; . : ' ‘‘What good is that to us f” he demanded. ; ; “fr^y' lalV 'tight: for those wlr6: are' i/V to New [• ■: ns who have been h^ren for <m°p¥lp- ■ -,Are wo not ehtitled io the allowance ! . just the A&ff'Vr. thPfe^.AflMe^? i i : enough forfMfex' |v lv *when he/<ha&fa |pfe .-^jH to ke e P- Tttetfc tolU i»tpeiw»y:-lo mt* lf| | or fet »fi I lloco. !?« were definitely we wyll hate to do something to the aid ol the public.” reinforcements urgently required. i:h ip.v- v was emphasised, ,% the . j ' ■' Defence (Horn/ di.ii.Allen) i.to >a : | „ to-day. M&r 'wanted immediately j for the Etetejtfck k* forcoments who-went,into iCamp^shor early in tfie month;, .ahj] the gaps have' Jeeb filled. 1 5bo Twelfth Reinforcements arO to' be called oh January 10-,- And the hpmber or k yn bafld is .Hot iflA 6 * j? “I want the niei> of NeW Zealand to feel the pressing importance of this , call,” said the Minister. “We need ■’■•-'recruits mow; men who are prepared ‘ to begin their training at once. Gaps require to be filled in ranks of the Eleventh Reinforcements, and the lists

for- the Twelfth Reinforcement re[l quire to be brought 'to; ' the full ? strength. The Dominion cannot coni'.., template' failure in this matter. We stand pledged to s emT forward Remjf forcemeats .regularly to the units a - ready at the front, and in order that Swe may redeem our solemn .undertaking, Some men who are able to come [ v \forward now be holding back until der* the impression that the new re- [ ' cruiting scheme is going to change the r : situation in some way. I ( ask those . meii to face the fact that the new recruiting scheme, cannot come into full . operation in' time to give ns the recruits We want now and in January. We have to fill drafts- ft* these two months under the old system oi rej cruiting. That is, we h..ve to depend | upon the patriotism of the men them- " selves, and the assistance of existing organisations. I ntake this ' appeal'specially to those who have no dependents or family responsibilities. There is another consideration I would bring under notice of available men .who have not yet come forward. Ihe I Eleventh and Twelfth Keniforcements t:v__the drafts we are trying to fill now v\ —will reach the .war area in June or s July, perhaps the most important months of the war, The Allied forces may be making their. great effort in ■ summer mouths, and it* is certain that operations of the utmost importance will be in‘progress. 1 do not think any New Zealander would like to recollect, in after year s that be had neglected to serve his country when the occasion . was 'so momentous and the issues, we re so vast,’ 7 Ini V: ■' : I ————