THE RUM RATION.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 May 1919, Page 5

THE RUM RATION.

At the meeting held at Foxtou last night for the election of a School Committee, Mr Fred Pirani was asked by a returned soldier if the effect of the issue of a rum ration to the soldiers at the front had had the effect stated by Sir Robert Stout. Mr Pirani said he could only speak from personal experience, and it was laughable to describe anything of the sort to the very small rum ration served out under most exceptional conditions anything of the sort. As a matter of fact, his experience had been that the most abstemious of the men ho saw at Home—in England, Ireland, and Scotland—wore the New Zealanders. Notwithstanding the fact that they were better supplied with money than almost any other division, there was not the slightest sign of the abuse of what some folk call enjoyment at this mainly to the wet canteen system. Certainly, on the trip back to New Zealand on a transport, where every kind of intoxicating liquor was barred to the men, they had an “ interlude 7 ’ of what some folks call enjoyment at Colon, but- if ever that kind of relaxation was justifiable, it was there. Quito a number of the 7uen had as much, if not more, than was good for them, but no harmful resultfollowed, and ho doubted very much if as many we,re induced to become hard drinkers abroad as by their stay in Trentham Camp.. It was very hard for folk out here to realise the conditions the boys had to endure while they were away, and il was not the time to indulge in Pharisaical criticisms of them or their conduct.