A PLEA FROM ROTOROA.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1915, Page 5

A PLEA FROM ROTOROA.

TO SERVE THE COUNTRY. WILL TAKE THE"«K of K." PLEDGE, By Telegraph.—Special to Daily New*, Wellington, Last Night. A petition signed by some sixty in> mates of the Rotoroa institution fdt, inebriates was placed before the Houae' of Representatives to-day, praying that) the petitioners might be allowed to servo the country at the present crisis. "We would respectfully bring under your notice," it ran, "that the country Is oalllM' for men for the front, and for agricuU tural purposes, while at present we haya 90 inmates here, physically and menttily , At, living in a state of semi-idleness,. kept by the country at a cost of £lO pet man per week. At least 75 of these men are fit anyway to go into the harvest field, and do a real hard day's work. About three-fourths of these men are here solely for breaches of prohibition orders, not for excessive drinking, and, if released, several would volunteer for the front, a'nd the balance would take up farming work. We would give; 50 per cent, of our earnings to the relief of wounded soldiers, or any patriotio fund you would suggest. We pledge ourselves to take Lord Kitchener's patriotio pledge during the war."