Citizens Say—

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 916, 8 March 1930, Page 8

Citizens Say —

(To the Editor.)

“THE COUP DE GRACE”

Sir,- —- Mr. Steve Stimiehi's extraordinary attempt to draw a parallel between Dunedin people coming to live in Auckland, and Yugoslavs coming to New Zealand, is too absurd for further comment. NEW ZEALANDER.

“OUR LOOKING GLASS, SAMOA”

Sir, — In 1914 New Zealand reached for her gun, since when she has not put it down, although the war ceased 12 years ago. Guns and bayonets have been forced upon our youths from 12 years old upward. After leaving school the same game continues, of which the public does not see much, but one reads of the occasional prosecution of an unfortunate boy, fined £5 and branded as a “shirker.” There are 40,000 of these prosecutions on record. The Maori wars in New Zealand drove the natives into the centre of the island, sullen and unconquered; but we failed to make them a subject people. Military methods will have the same effect in Samoa. The Mau may be subdued outwardly, but the spirit of the Mau will remain alive for all time. The military rulers in Samoa, backed by the New Zealand Government, have failed to grasp the outstanding national movement that the Mau stands for—“feamoa for the Samoans.” Samoa is New Zealand’s lookingglass, where the ugly face of our militarism looks back at us. AZTEC.

A GRUELLING MARCH

Sir. — Your correspondent “Cantab” twits me for having brought up the subject of the two route marches. Well, sir, it seems to be so much the' habit for various things about the war to be “brought up” just now that I thought I might just as well be in the hunt as out of it. When I said that the 2nd Brigade was practically in a riot after going for an hour and threequarters, I meant that the falling out had reached such an epidemic stage that a long halt became compulsory, so as to gather in the stragglers. We were then given, if I remember rightly, an hour and a-half’s rest, so it may be seen what sort of a condition we had got into. I think “Cantab” is wrong in suggesting that no harm resulted from this march. I, for one, can say that my legs have never been of great use to me since. And that is the reason why I have good reason for remembering it. In any case your correspondent himself seems also to have a good and sufficient reason, even if it was only confined to “tall language” and his surprising vocabulary! This route march is briefly mentioned in the official history of the Canterbury Regiment. The distance given is 20 miles from Roqueltoire to

Neuf Berquln. Personally at the end of that day X felt it must have been nearer a hundred! The last two miles I did all on my own, and never want to know the like again. R. M. THOMSON.

TWO ROUTE MARCHES

Sir,— Writing on the subject of “Two Route Marches” and answering "Cantab’s” query: “Why bring that up?” it is obvious that the motive is to show the stupidity of the whole wicked business of war. No sane person is looking for redress at this late date for many injustices and oppressions suffered during wartime, and inflicted sometimes to instil animal-like discipline (meaning, of course, abject subjugation of oneself to the will of others) or at other times to indulge the petty brief authority of some jack-in-office who was like the beggar on horseback, not accustomed to it. It does not really matter much where that fiendish Egyptian route march took place. "Perhaps there were two.” I was under the Impression that it was from Perry Post to Gundegai by an Australian detachment, who were to relieve the Auckland Mounted Rifles. I remember tbe arrival of these poor fellows at . Gundegai. There were four of us in a bivouac and we used to make a canvas bucket of water last for two days for washing purposes so you can Imagine that it used to get thick fairly quickly. We were playing cards and heard a splashing, and thinking that someone was stealing our water, we sprang up to find half a dozen “Aussies” in the last stages of exhaustion drinking this slimy fluid out of our washing bucket. Others were drinking what was left in the canvas horse trough. This hellish march was totally unnecessary, as there were, at this time, no Turks within 30 or 40 miles. These things are undertaken to break a man’s spirit the first step toward making him a good soldier. Senior officers always admit that the worst soldiers are men of high intelligence who have to serve in the ranks. CHAS. BAILEY.

YUGOSLAVIA

Sir,— Though there may be British people who live in Yugoslavia, I do not think that there can have been such an exodus from Britain to that country as frorn Yugoslavia even to little, faraway New Zealand, to say nothing of other parts of the world. No fewer than 1,414 Yugoslavs migrated to New Zealand in five years, compared with 586 Americans, 431 Italians, 290 Chinese, 101 Danes, and 99 Swiss’. Also there are many thousands of Yugoslavs in the United States. I want to assure Mr. Vella that I do not think his country is bandit-ridden: but I think there must be a "dead whale about the ship” somewhere. NEW ZEALANDER.