SOLDIERS' ALLOWANCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1918, Page 6

SOLDIERS' ALLOWANCES.

CLAIM FOE RETROSPECTION. Napier; Dec. 4. The president of the N.ZJELS.A.. Mr B. W. Batten, commenting on the rejection of the claim of wives of the early volunteers to receive the game allowances as the Second Division reservists, says that the R.S.A. cannot accept the reason given. Mr Massey states that this just claim is repudiated because of the huge sum required for repatriation purposes. £2,000,000 is provided for this work, and practically the whole of this sum is to be repaid by the returned soldiers, a "huge sum" when compared with the £1,000,000 given as a war bonus to civil servants. Mr O. Batten states that the Government's proposals are unsatisfactory enouglij, but the cavalier manner in which Mr Massey accepts tlie position of chairman, and forthwith hands it on to Mr Hcrries, cannot fail to cause grave concern to every thinking returned soldier. The fact that Sir James Allan refuses the position of chairman of the bqard, although he prepared the original scheme (vide Mr Guthrie), indicates that political influences are at work. I cannot now say what action the R.S.A. will take, but I am certain that the returned soldiers will not stand by to see their comrades return to be sacrificed on the altar of pArty politics. We are now reviewing the setting up of a department, which, on its present lines, is a Gilbertian farce, and I hope the people of N.Z. will see that these matters are adjusted at the first opportunity.