THE R.S.A.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 28, 24 September 1920, Page 8

THE R.S.A.

With the passing of time, and the absorption of the soldiers in the commercial life of the community — there is naturally a tendency to forget our soldier associations and find ourselves possessed of hazy and imperfect conception regarding the aims and aspirations of the R.S.A. Even pleasant memories of the Home land — plea. sant and unpleasant memories of our activities in the war zones — are rapidly pass. ing from our ken. A great deal of -this is desirable; but not so, as far as the R.S.A. are concerned. The objects of the Association are to look after the interests of returned soldiers, their wives, widows, or dependents as the cast may be. Only a few days ago an old lady visited the Secretary of the Invercargill Association and stated that she had received about £150 from the Government. The Secretary had been months fighting her case, and eventu. ally succeeded in getting her justice. Doz_ ens of cases go through the local Association every week and the outside people know nothing about it-. If returned soldiers have a strong conviction that the aims are good, then ia our conviction worth 10s per annum ; if it is not, then it is mere camouflage and not a conviction at all. We must not be divided and we must not run* the risk of being considered a divided body, because the moment a conception of that kind gets abroad, then we cease to possess that unity of action and solidarity, which will make us an elfective force behind the legitimate claims of our more unfortunate comrades. There are soldiers' dependents who have no idea of the provisions legislation ha8 made for them. They have difflcultiea that they are unable to remedy owing to lack of knowledge as to how, and, what to do. There are erroneous vlews abroad that the R.S.A. exists to find fault, but such is not the case. The Association ha8 always aimed at construction and if the Government had accepted the suggesfions regarding an effeetive land policy we would

not have the conditions existing which have inflated values to the benefit of the speculator and to the detriment of the soldier. The policy regards the soldier as a civilian rather than as a soldier, and ic anxfcm' ti at refvr».-tC soldiers should play their part in citizenship. It has always been closely associated with the problems of repatriation and has endeavoured to facilitate the passage of the soldier to the civilian rather than find fault. The Association was the first to impress upon the Government the necessity for a proper scheme of repatriation. It had represented to the Government the consequences of delay in preparing the necessary repatriation machinery and when this machinery was brought into existence the Association secured representation on the Board. The closest attention has been given to the medical treatment of the soldier and. a vast improvement in methods has from time to time been adopted through pressure from the R.S.A. Effeetive protasts were made against the penal treatment of V.D. cases and they were given the benefitg of the Repatriation Act. One of the greatest fights to-day is — that the State shall cease to differentiate between the soldier and the civilian, and in both cases the disease should be compulsorily notifiable. Under pressnre of the R.S.A. the Government reconsidered the whole qnestion of pensions of soldiers suf. fering from tubercular trouble and has undertaken to make special arrangements in view of the nature of their disability. The problem of 3ealing with these men is as great to-day as ever it was. Limbless men have received the assistance of the R.S.A. and better conditions have been established. Pay, pensions and allowances have all been considered and good results have followed. To partake of the benefits of retrospective allowances} back pay, and other benefits, and then not join the R.S.A. is, to say the least, an imgenerous position. Furthermore it is to the credit of the R.S.A. that these things have been accomplished by soldiers' subscriptions. The work of the future is great for some time to come, and every man should join- up and make a united Returned Soldiers' Association.