"The Digger."

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 39, 10 December 1920, Page 8

"The Digger."

' FRIDAY, DECEMBER .10, 1920. THE 1,8. A. The recent poll in connection with the proposed war memorial, and ihe controversy which preceded it, brought out a desire on the part of some of the public for a concerted expression of opinion on the subject from returned soldiers. We fear that in some respects the objects and aims of our Associatipn are not understood. We are, in brief, an associ. ■ tion of returned soldiers interested purely and simply in the immediate affairs of returned soldiers ahd their dependents. We stand tpgetfier to see fair play and a square deal for anyone suffering an injustice a3 a consequence of war service. We endeavcur to educate *and enlighten our members and their friends on legislation which immediately affeets returned men. We ^im to organise and supervise on behalf of returned soldiers any social or formal function which interests them as a body. Matters of national or munJcipal interest, unless such matters concern us in a direct way because of our war service, we prefer to view in our civilian capacities. In fact we frequently differ among ourselves on such matters, and the very foundatiou of our Asrociation would be shaken ii we allowed outside affairs to

enter into our deliberations. We stanu united in a common desire to assist any fellow soldier requiring assistance ; divided on questions of purely civilian interest We should be in danger of a f all. And that there is naed for our Association to live on cannot be douhted by those who inquire into our records. The flies in our cfflces rccording the labour and results of our efforts in dozens of instances would be a positive revelation to some of ,our friends. The* voluine and variety of the work undertaken by the Execuiive wTould astound the average citizen. The sacrifice of spare time, and the willing j^bour of* our members when something can be done for some other member or members in trouble, afiorcf lessons that might well be learnt by some of our civilian critics. ITappily, however, the work grows less. Our men are settling down, and one by one wrongs are being. right-ed. Those who have ungrudgingly carried the burden of returned soldiers' troubles can now rest at times on their oars, and look back with immenso satisfaction on the result of their labours. But they cannot put their boat away yet- — instances constantly crop ,up and compel them to move again. And as long as there is a demand from one soldier for the assistance of the Association we shall live and work. Then when the work is done, and not one requires assistance or advice-; the purpose of the Association will be complete. The war will be over ; and we can take off our equipment, frame our discharges, and forget that we have ever been. soldiers. But not until then. THE KING'S COLOUR. Every digger will he looking forward to 3 p.m. on Sunday next, the 12th instant, when the King's Colour of the 2nd Battalion, Otago Regiment, is to be consecrated by Bishop Richards and left in St. John's Chureh, Invercargill, for safe keep. ing until further required. It is by the court,esy of Lieut.-Colonel Hargest, D.S.O., M.C. (late officer commandirg), that this Colonr is to find a resting place in Southland; for it was intended orginally to place it with the Colours of the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the Regiment in the Firsfc Church, Dunedin. The gallant colonel, however, exercised his prerogative and insisted that the Colour of his Battalion shoulr) come to his own province. On behalf of - returned soldiers and the public of Soutbland »"The Digger" thanks him for his actiqn and congratulates him on the attitude he took up. In the past the Invercargill R.S.A. has had reason to be proud of its members when a- parade has been called for. v V e hope to see a big muster on Sunday next, as tbis is a fitting occasion for _what will in all proba-bility be our last public appearance as members of the N.Z.E.F. The ceremony will be uiidenomiiiational, and a very cordia-1 invitation is extended to all. Returned men. in uniform if possible, please. . UNFINANCIAL MEMBERS. Have you paid your subscription for the year-ending 31st March next? This is a delicate subject, and it is not proposed to labour it in this colunm. The subscription is a small one and it is perhaps easily overlooked. At the sarne tima it musi be remembered that we pride ourselves on the fact that we conduct an-d finance our own affairs as returned soldiers. And we can only praserve this pride if every member maintains his niembership by lieeping up his subscript-ions. When returned men want advice, the Association gives it gladly and promptly, it does not wai! to see if the applicants are financial or otherwise. If Vpu want assistance or advice you will very naturally go to the Association it. And .you will get .it. All we suggest is that it is up to every man to see that his small subscription towards the working expenses is paid up. We leave it with you there. "THE DIGGER."

In our last issue we admitted frankly tliat we were out to interest our readers rather tha-n to instruct them. New features will appear in our columns from time to time with this object in view. Returned soldiers are responsible almost entirely for the matter appearing in these pages, and we feel that there must be many more among us able to send along inferesting contributions. We shall be pleased to receive as many articles a3 you like to send along. Avoid controversial Bubjects as much as possible — the editor is a fiend to argue ! ! Write on one side of the paper only, and remember that caligraphy getg lots of marks. We cannot guarantee immediate publication of every. thing that £bnies along; but our wastepaper basket is a small one, and we prom. ise to read all cohtributed matter at least

twice before the worst happens. We can't be expected to promise more. AVIATION. On Thursday last Invercargill was visited by yet another aeroplane. This time the visitors were from Amaru and were representatives of the newly fornied new Zealand Aero Transport Company. The promoters of the company are to be congratulated on the enterprise The public of South Canterbury have viewed their project with enthusiasm we are told, realising that their ideas are not only progressive, but also practical. No doubt our visitors hope to receive similar enthusiastic encouragement from the public of Southland; and»as the' territory under their control extends from Timaru to the Bluff, it is up to all of us to give them a lift along if we can. Returned soldiers will readil^ realise that aviation has come to stay. The progress made during the past five years is astounding ; and yet this progress has of necessity been along "active service" lines. Now that there is leisure to develop along commercial lines it seems probable that the aeroplane will soon become a very common means of transport. There is a further, and perhaps a stronger, reason wliy aviation enterprises should be encouraged. If war should coirie again ihe Air Force would admittedly play a most important part-. Every country in the world realises this fact, and consequently every possible| means is being adopted to develop aviation. We must not lag behind in New Zealand, as in an isolaied Dominion such as this our sti'ongest means of defence will probably come from the air. "The Digger" wishes good luek and good fortune to these enterprising gentlemen.