New Zealand

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 53, 8 February 1916, Page 5

New Zealand

ASHMEAD BARTLETT INTERVIEWED AT AUCKLAND. • ' Per Press Association. Auckland, February 7. A passenger by the Niagara to-day. cn route to Sydney, is Mr Ash mead Bartlett, (lie war correspondent. In t!ie course of an interview lie said that ho had never seen a more magnificent body of men than the Australasian troops. Even when the officers wer hot down the men were able ;to carry on without direction. Referring to Salonika, he said he .considered that the position of the | Allies was one that could easily lie held against any force toe Central Powers were likely to bring against it. He thought that there was little chance of serious attacks on either Salonika, or Egypt, the key to the whole situation being in the West. RETURNED TROOPERS. COMPLAINTS MADE AND INVESTIGATED. BOTH SIDES OF THE QUESTION. Despite’the assurances of the speakers representing the Stratford Patriotic Committee at the meeting of townspeople in the Town Hall recently that the wounded soldiers were being well attended to, and that they need not want for money, complaints continue to he made. One man bitterly complains that he has had to sign an acknowledgment and promise to repay the sum of £2 which he needed, on receipt of pay due, and another returned invalided man complains that he did not have forwarded to him his train fare from Kohuratahi to New Plymouth, where he had been advised to report himself to the Medical Board, while at the same time he was supplied with a free pass from Stratford to New Plymouth. Perhaps it would be best to put down the stories of these two men. The latter reference concerns Private -P. J. Davis, son of Mr Tom Davis, who has for the fourth time paid his fare from Kohuratahi and back), a matter of 5s Id single fare, or 10s 2d return, while on Defence matters connected with his visits to the meetings of the Medical Board. He states that lie was directed to report on the 18th December, which engagement falling on a Sunday, lie .was unable to keep, and necessarily he fulfilled it on the Monday following about three o’clock in the afternoon after the arrival of the afternoon train. Notwithstanding the fact that he has ten guineas to draw for his pay, he got for three trips the sum of 21s. Considering that he had to stay it New Plymouth and pay for all his meals and board lie feels that there was no occasion to keep him short of money. Private Davis wants to know why the railway ticket passing him from Kohuratahi to New Plymouth was not forwarded when the order to report himself to the Medical Board was sent.

The other ease is that ot Private Jack Flynn, son of Mrs Flynn, of Te Wera. Since he landed in Auckland he has received the sum oi £lO 19s Od, ihout £d of which he repaid to the others who had lent him the money in

Kj vpt with which to buy souvenirs for ■is people. Being an enteric convalescent (besides having been wounded) he illeges he has had to have special diet, which has made the obtaining of board nore costly. He has had to report himself to a Stratford medical man ihout every other day, and the fare from To Wera eats up 4s 4d second class every time. Certain moneys that liis mother advanced him have to he repaid, and the conscientious discharge of his liabilities has worried him more than he cared to say, until ie found the opportunity of ventilating his grievances to a newspapci •epresentative. Private Flynn proudly stated that he had refused sums of £lO, £5, and £2 from private citizens thinking that the local Patriotic Comnittee would supply him with su 11•ient, but he was disillusionised At die same time he is emphatic upon the joint that he has no complaint against :he Defence Department.

In fairness to all concerned and so :hat the public may not be misled in he smallest degree. It was thought idvisable to publish, together with the nen’s statements, what the Patriotic Committee has to say regarding the ■omplaints. The honorary secretary who by the way devotes a lot of valudile time to the Patriotic Committee’s .cork) was accordingly placed in possession of the above statements and informed our representative that there ,vas certainly another way of looting it these matters. In the first p! me Private Flvnn was reported to be in -die Isolation Hospital at Auckland uid in want of money. The secretary immediately on advice telegraphed the Patriotic Committee. Auckland to kindly give Private Flynn every attention and supply him with any extias dlowed by the medical authorities and to debit all cost to the Stratford Patriotic Committee. The reply was that Private Flynn had been discharg>d from hospital on January 4th and iad left for Wellington, The next ieard of Private Flynn by the Strati’ovd Committee was when he called upon the secretary yesterday and requested an advance of money as Ins

next advance of military pay was noli due until January 14tk. As Private Flynn stated he was getting full military pay of 5s per day and 2s per dajfr mess allowance, it was considered that a loan of the sum he asked for woul<| meet his case. Private Flynn assured the secretary lie was quite satisfied!. In making the request for an acknowledgment of the sum an ordinary business precaution which as secretary, that official was bound to take/ Private Flynn had no objection at th© time, even offering to give an order oif his pay, which offer was not takenj advantage of preferring to leave thef matter to the young man's honour Private Flynn saw the Secretary atr 12 o’clock and received the £2 asked for at 2 o’clock.

With regard to Private Davis, it| was reported that he was in a had), state of health when he arrived in* Stratford and the Patriotic Committee* was prepared to send him to a Sana-| torium to recuperate, but before doin so, Dr. Paget was consulted and vato Davis examined and kept free of; charge in Dr. Paget’s Private Hospit-1 al for one week or more. It was then-; not thought advisable to send Private] Davis away. So far, with regard to any expenses incurred in visiting thej Medical Board, nothing had been re-, ferred to the Committee, which however, was strongly of opinion that free passes in such cases should be issued by the Government and the Committee will take the matter up.

in support of this the Secretary to the Stratford Patriotic Committee this morning telegraphed the Hon. J. Allen as under: Wounded soldiers complain of having to pay their own railway fares to and from inspection by Medical Boards. My Committee is strongly of opinion that this is’unjust and urge upon you to grant them free passes. We trust you can see your way to concede this privilege. An early reply will oblige.”