The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 1917. A RETURNED SOLDIERS’ CLUB.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 25 July 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 1917. A RETURNED SOLDIERS’ CLUB.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waimarino News).

It seems that an organised effort on a broad and comprehensive scale has been initiated with the object of providing a rendezvous for soldiers that have returned and for that great number that are yet to return from the war to this district. We are of opinion that more than enough men from this neighbourhood will return to warrant something being done by way of local effort to prevent them drifting into a state that could be described as wanderers on the face of the earth. We are of opinion that such an institution as Is in our mind would very materially assist the efforts of the Government in the Herculean work that lies ahead of absorbing the men, whose duty is done, into civil life again; that .some such institution is the least that can be done towards giving shelter, providing conveniences, and gathering that information that will hasten on the absorption of the men into the country’s producing industries. JB'efore these men leave us to fight our battles we tear them by virtue of conscription laws from their place in the producing machinery; we provide huge camps for them, and Military Service Boards before which they may appear in an effort to secure some sort of justice and reasonable arrangement in the huge sacrifices the law compels them to make; they have no choice, or even voice in the irrecoverable losses they must make in giving up their businesses, their positions, their life among relatives and friends to lay it at our feet, at the feet of this country and of the Empire. Do we sever all relations, obligations, responsibilities and a great deal more not expressible in words when we tear them from friends, from the places they have made and honourably filled in our social and industrial organisations, pitch them into camp and load them on troopships? When we have recognised what these men have sacrificed, and that they are carrying their lives to a foreign land to fight that we may live unmolested, in according them the little honour of a send-off with a few encouraging and laudatory words, perhaps a dance and a song, do we cut all relationship with them; do we consider then that we have no further obligations in our connection with them; are they to be a complete sacrifice from this community? We do not think so. There is still interwoven with our moneygetting, and our striving to avoid care, a weft of sentiment and a warp of duty to those men who, escaping German bullets may bring their damaged lives back to us. We

have given our support to a law that compelled them to risk their lives in a foreign land, and the very least we ■ can-do is to try and make their return to us as bearable as possible. Many thousands will have no home, no work, no friends to go to; they will be adrift on the mercy of the world. It seems that in permitting anything of the kind we are shirkers of a mean and callous ilk. Call it what we will, it is desirable that, some provision should be made in every centre of population to find a place where these men may meet, obtain information that is vital to them, where they can discuss what is of the greatest moment to them —their future —without any beg-paraons or obligations to anybody. They cannot step off the train as they arrive back in Taihape and go straight to civilian occupation; hundreds will have no relations to even welcome them. The men that have returned are of opinion that the something they call “A Returned Soldiers’ Club” is what will prove of greatest usefulness and of most practical value, and they have now set themselves to work in an effort to furnish assistance and conveniences to men who are to follow that were not accorded to them. Their motto is “Help us to help ourselves,” and we venture to hope that the help they seek will be speedily accorded. A committee has been set up, composed largely of returned men, men who were the honoured guests of our Send-Offs, men who listened to our well-intentioned words of encouragement and our promises of what we would do on their return. Returned men have advised us of what would be of the most service to them, and it seems that as their desires are reasonable and attainable they will' be fully granted. Even, fronl a "selfish point of view this community should do its utmost to encourage returned men to remain In the district, to make Taihape their home until they find congenial avenues to settling down into useful civilian occupations. The men are not going to become a bufden on oiir community, each will have his pension, if nothing else, to provide him with necessaries till he can get into some suitable work, or vocation. Our actions on the return of our soldiers must not go to suggest an insincerity and dissembling of our words spoken to them when they left us. We know, quite well, that a great deal of what is here stated is unnecessary and superfluous in a general way, but there may be a few who will endeavour to put a damper on the returned men’s efforts to provide a rendezvous and information bureau, a centre from whence everything connected with" the absorption of soldiers into civilian life may be disseminated most effectively.