RETURNED SOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 May 1917, Page 2

RETURNED SOLDIERS.

IMPROVED TREATMENT WANTED. The treatment accorded returned sol-, dicivs formed the subject of discussion, it the meeting of'the Eltliam County Council on Saturday., The questipnwfw brought up by. receipt of a co.py of-, 3. resolution forwarded. by the Ate'andfa., Borough Council and passed ,at. a ,n>ee.t-.j ing of residents, expressing tbp opinion that the Government Ims not made adequate provision for soldiers and their dependents, and urging the Government to bring down a more liberal scale, of pensions', etc.; also that the time has arrived for the .organisation of industry and the introduction of a system of national service. Tho chairman considered this was a matter that the Government could deal with. When, in Wellington as a member of the Trustee Board, a suggestion had been made that returned soldiers should be placed 011 improved land instead of being sent to tho backblocks, where they would not be successful. Of courso there might be cases where a man preferred to go to the backblocks 011 to sheep country. He thought the Government would fall in with this. Another suggestion offered was that when buying land in any' district the Government should, before finally completing the purchase, obtain the opinion •of a qualilied man in tho district, having local 'knowledge of tho land, and this suggestion he thought would be acted on.

Or. McWilliam said the Government was adopting the wrong principle in obtaining tho land before the soldiers returned. .lb would M be :far better to '\v«ut until the soldiers returned and then find out what they preferred to do. Many men, instead of going on the land, might prefer to go into some business, such as carriers, etc., provided they could get the necessary finance and surveillance. It was resolve." to refer the matter to the Efficiency Board. Cr. Granville thought : the Council should take noti<s of the treatment accorded the returned soldiers. The Government should take proper care of men who retiirned, perhaps maimed am", wounded for life. They need not. be kept in opulence, but should receive reasonable comfort. It was regrettable that returned men should be so shockingly treated by being sent to the backblocks without money on 100 acres. Some of those men had never been there before. They. should have at least £330 in "'Mr pockets, and also the experience tbaV is acquired in the backblocks by long yeafs of lianl work and disappointed hopes, lb would be better for a man to be killed in the field than to come back and suffer that kind of treatment.