CALLOUS TREATMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1918, Page 4

CALLOUS TREATMENT.

It is, we think, the wish of everyone in the 'Dominion that tho men who are Sghting our battles, undergoing the worst possible kind of hardships, risking thoir limbs and lives every day they are in the trenches, should" be treated by the Government with the utmost consideration. The best we can do for them is, measured by what tJiev are doing for us, very little indeed. The Govern" ment, of course, has 110 soul to damn, ibut it has a body to be kicked, or at leant the member 3 of the Cabinet have, and the treatment accorded the few members of the Main Body who have just arrived in New Zealand on furlough justifies the public in demanding that the members of the Government, and particularly theMinister chiefly responsible, should be subjected to a most vigorous dose of this medicine. We reprinted from a contemporary a day or two ago an account of the disgraceful way in which a Stratford boy was treated. Since then anothei case of the same kind has come under our notice. These ■ soldiers, who have borne the heat and burden of the day, if anyone has, were promised three months* leave in New Zealand, but upon si rival found the leave had been reduced to three weeks! If this were not bad enough, the Government intimated that whilst here their pay would be stopped! Here are men who have had over three years of trial and hardship unparalleled in the history of the human race, coming home to recuperate their shattered health and strengthen their sorely-racked nervous system, and treated as if they were so many dogs, whilst hundreds of highly-paid military mandarins roam the countryside, living on tho fat of the land, receiving everything that heart can desire and tull pay whether on duty or not. Where is the equity? Where the consistency? We have no hesitation in saying that such discreditable and invidious treatment of our warworn lads is absolutely opposed to the ideas and feelings of the public, who should take every means in their power of protesting to the Government against this miserable and parsimonious conduct and demand that the instructions already given should be withdrawn and due apology made to the men concerned also that in , future the returned soldiers should be treated as honored guests whilst back here on furlough or sick leave. Nothing short of this, it seems to us, will make amends for the callous treatment the soldiers have recently been subjected to, and nothing less is worthv of a Dominion that, at heart, is anxious to do the right thing by its defenders. V\ hilst we are oil the subject, we would also like to know how it is that cables despatched by relatives to soldiers in England and Prance do not reach them. We know of one local lady who has spent over Ave pounds in cables to her stricken son and Home relatives, yet has not even got an acknowledgment,'though specifically asking for it. We do not know who is responsible for this sort of tiling, hilt we do know that a Government truly concerned about the welfare of the soldiers and their anxious parents would soon see into the matter and remedy any difficulty existing. Departments of State do not as a rule evince a very humane spirit, but surely in a matter of this nature it is not too much to expect it to show a little consideration for the parents of the boys who are doing their "bit" at the front. Another matter which is arousing much indignation is the callousness displayed by the departmental officers in connection with returned wounded soldiers, more especially the cot cases. Common humanity demands that these men should receive the very best attention, and that all necessary arrangements should be made for their comfort while travelling, and for their conveyance to the hospital at the journey's end; yet the reverse is the case. Not only have these men, wounded in our service, to submit to unnecessary hardships on the train, but no notice is given as to when they are to arrive, so that they have to put up with further hardships while action is taken to obtain the necessary ambulance transport. Those responsible for this inhuman treatment should certainly be replaced by competent officials, and the remedy should be prompt and effective.