HELP FOR SOLDIERS.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 17, 9 July 1920, Page 14

HELP FOR SOLDIERS.

FEAR OF CURTAXLMENT. RETURNED MEN UP IN ARMS. THE HONOUR OF THE COUNTRY. A largely attended meeting of member3 of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association was held in the clubliouse last evening to consider the position witli respect to the slowing down of advances under the Discharged Soldiers* Settlement Act. Mr W. Perry presided, and the following members of Parliament were present : — Dr. A. K. Newman, Messrs R. A. Wright, W. H. Field, P. Fraser, G. Mitchell, and J. P. Luke. Mr Perry said the association should protest against any possible curtailment of advantages under the D.S.S. Act, and the matter to be discussed was of the utmost importance. From recent utteranees by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Lands, it appeared that there was a danger of the advantages of the Act being curtailed. The Government had given the impression that it had gone too far, and that its action had tended to inflate the values of land. Headquarters of the R.S.A. had taken up the matter, and had urged local associations to hold meetings and pass the fol-

lowing resolution : — "That this meeting of returned soldiers, having taken into consideration the statements of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Lands regarding the finance of the Dominion and the possible effect of the continuance of the present scheme of advances under the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act in further increasing the price of land, still considers that the only equitable and honourable course open to Parliament is (a) to make the benefits of the D.S.S. Act available to all soldiers at present entitled to these benefits, and so to avoid penalising many soldiers who have but recently returned to New Zealand, or have lately bee i released from hospital, or have lately completed their period of training under thi Repatriation Act; (b) to provide that any loss incnrred in so doing shall be borne by the country as a whole." — A Present of 1^ Per Cent. — Mr Perry detailed the statements made by the Prime Minister to the R.S-A- with reference to the D.S.S. Act.- The speaker stressed the point that the Government was not spending money on returned soldiers— it was only lending it to them, and the principal and interest would all. be repaid. The returned soldiers were r. i responsible for the inflation of the values of house property and land, and were not prepared to take the responsibiiity of the Government's miscalculations. By cutting down the advances under the Act, a manifest disadvantage was being placed on men who went to the war early, and who had not yet applied for loans. The returned soldiers were entitled to obtain loans at 4$ per cent., even if the Government had to raise the money at 6 per cent. The Government should make a present of per cent." to the returned men in view of the promises that had been made when the Act wa* placed on the Statute Book. A loss of 1^ per cent. was not too big a price to p.ay for the country's honoar. (Hear, hear). Ia second ir ; the resolution, Mr A. B. Siev wright : tid that the returned soldiers throv ' iput the country had been much pertu ed by the action of the Government in holding up temporary advances un.' r the the D.S.S. Act. Many returned s Idiers had made commitments, and l ien they were faced with. a "bolt from ihe blue" in the temporary stoppage of 1 >ans. Contracts had been - entered into by returned men in all good faith, and in the belief that they would be able to obtain the money for the purpose of land settlement and the purchase of houses. The Government was ever ready to flout the aiins of returned soldiers because it had a very short memory. There should be a most liberal interpretation of the provisions of the Act, and the attitude of the Prime Minister had not been fair. The Government had been listening to the adviqe of those people who said that sufficient had been done for the returned soldiers, and that the Government had gone f enough. The attitude of the Prime Minister was nothing but a "try on," and the returned soldiers should see that it w;is resisted. New Zealand was one of the most prosperous countries in the world, and the Prime Minister should prove that he was an optimist, and tap the' resonrces from which money for the returned soldiers could he obtained. The slcgan of the Government during the war had been "the last man and the Iar.fc shillmg." Had that been forgotten by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Lands? When the crisis regarding money rose, the Prime Minister should

ha,., risen to the occaaioa ^ . the necessary funde, tru.fc, "bS action would be approved bv p 7 ^ The Government had been fk * m not passing an Act in igu the sale of land at values in prev^ Ihose ruling in 1914. ^ $ diers had been fightiug th, had been busy accumulatin, and they were the gentlemen ped their fingers at the law , SIWPtWnt was the precursor o{ and mcreased production could fl0n« achieved hy getting as many ret 'j ^ diers as possible on the land ^ was the only way in which ihe livmg could be reduced. yet that fact was most apparent, 7 7 ernment took the line of curtailin, vances to returned soldiers. if ? ^ sodiers had been burdened by" J up land at prices which were too i then it was for the Government to - them by giving them rebates out oU country's exchequer. The BetJ Soldiers' Association would have to that in future returned soldiers receij! land at reasonable prices, and that y people who made enormous fortunes ^ of land during the war were forced i. disgorge some of their money by of taxation. The benefits of repatriatim must be continued until the last reton ed man was trained and settled. (Hej, hear). — "Only a Fair Thing." ^

Mr John I. Fox said that the returned soldiers were confident that Parl^ and the people were with the® ^ desire for full reinstatmnt ia life. Had the Government acc^tV suggestions of the Returned Soldiets,' b sociation in the early days with iejaj to repatriation, the returned men the Government would have toi; themselves in a better position ( day. The Government by now hs how many men were yet ava| the benefits of full repatriation, and n ficient money should be set aside forj pui-pose. If the money should not be| tained ahroad, then means should | taken of raising it in the Dominioa The R.S.A. had suggested that land should be acquired compulsorily at ptewar values, and that the owners should be paid in debentures. Justice was dno to the returned soldiers, who did not at for charity, but the granting oi their . rights. It was only proper thtpeofls I who had made money out of the to should contribute towards the cost oi tlj conflict, but it seemed as if li returned soldiers, who had already dom" their share in the winning of the wai, would now have to help in paying for it The returned. men were asking foi only a fair thing, and they shoald. sea that their demands were granted. * Mr J. M'Kenzie stated that some people had found the war to be a very profitable proposition. In his opinion, the amount of the general profiteering that had gone on was sufficient to pay the war debt. The only thing the "pah riots" were prepared to do was to pd-J th ?. returned soldiers on the land at tk highest values possible. Money had Itm j made out of the war, but not by tk'i- j turned soldiers, and those who had mad« j it, and who never had any intentioa oi 1 leaving the country to fight, were detemined that the soldiers should get now i of it. With regard to the D.S.S. Act, 1 tlie returned men should put no faith ia. j members of Parliament, and in the peoj pte of the country, but should depen entirely on themselves. In the strengt •. with which they supported their demaa ; lay their only hope of obtaining thafj rights. — Too Black a Picture." — j In returning tkanks, Dr. Newman » : marked that before coming to the ing the members of Parliament ®1 idea that they were going to act so to the returned soldiers. "You mus ^ , member this, that you have^°n'y ^ I oue side of the story to-night, ad e j Newman. "But I hope that "7 j s.ession is over you will find that ^ 1 ment has not treated you bad y, ^ I that the people of New Zealand & ^ uugrateful. I move in all c^sei j ciety and have never hear 3" ^ 1 say that we were doing hw rauc _ ^ j returned soldiers. Some of tba SP ^ ; to-night have painted the PIC "r gether too black." (Hear, hear)- ■ Mr Luke said he considered tending to the interests of t e ^ J soldiers should be the primary Parliament. He helieved in P ^ pai] game" to the returned men,^ 1 themselves A'played the game' hear). et>ort H Press Association messages bjj similar resolutions were meetings at Timaru, e Oamaru.