Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1917. THE SECOND DIVISION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9128, 25 October 1917, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1917. THE SECOND DIVISION.

On Moiiduy next the fh-st ballot for members of the Second Division will be held, and .the result will be freighted with tlie most important considerations for many of the men who will be drawn. TKe~ national aspect of the position created by calling up married men and other men with dependents is also a vital one, because it.,>>*ill.entail almost, a revolution in the domestic and social conditions of many .families. The article we f pjabHsliedy4yesterda;y; concerning ' the extreme poverty amongst hundreds ol f ami lies in Sydney provides an object-lesson for our legislators, for it was stated thai; "much of the .poverty/ is due id married men enlisting and leayinff■ .women ,and children to struggle ! aloiig on inadequate; military pay." We ought to "take" precautions against such conditions prevailing herd',; but 'unless the Government amends the scale of allowances to dependents it"; is quite probable that similar hardships will have to b<V endured by [men, women, and children in this country. It is unfortuhate that the Wellington branch of the Second Division League has taken up a somewhat minatory attittide in its demands. The whole of the people are behind the leagues iii their claims for adequate allowances; but public sympathy^ is likely to be alienated by the reiteration • oi:';charges;';^ bf Parliament ;;■ Ka.ve ; be'eiV ■ per.-' suaded by \.'the'',\G:pveiTiinei]:ty'fvby i..: means of secret. caucuses, to tuijn down the leagues demands. We prefer to take the reasonable view that the 47 legislators who agreed that the Government had gone as far as the country's 'finances will permit, were honestly convinced that the burden'ot debt -was so heavy that"it couJd not be safely increased in the direction ol additional pay and pensions. But while giving the members ol "Parliament credit for honesty of purpose, we cannot admit that the country is not in a position to make adequate allowances to the dependents of Second Division men. Even though to do sojieeessitates an increase in the Customs duties—which Sir -I oseph Ward is strongly opposed to —it would be far better to 1, take-this course than to condemn large numbers sof women and children to a■; life of. bitter privation. The result avoulcl be to cast upon the rest of the community the duty of maintaining these people, maiiy of w rhom would prefer to starve than accept charity. The position therefore resolves itself'into one of private charity or State maintenance as of right. ,:.<On the one; hand, the burden- A\*6u]d fall upon a few people in each community >;■ and on the other hand every.; individual would Kaye to arid her share. THe members of the leagues are asking,merely for justice for their families, -The Wellington League has, it is true, made the preposterous claim for--5s per day pocket money to spend; in the'trenches; but, we doubt, whether any of, tbe other leagues will support this demand. This is the kind of .thing- that induces a belief that some members of the Welling-toiv Leag-uo have no sense of tlieir responsibilities. ,J t alsp creates hn impression that the. league" is' lCnlpr.e concerned: with 'Securing 'bver-generous itreatnient for "the members. 11) emselves,. and that their demands on, liehal-f r pf their dependents are hypocritical. 1 The meuibers of the Second-Djyi-. sion have a'i legitimate daira-to public sympathy and practical .consideration;; by the State, ..a:nd it' is to be 'hoped that even t .at €he eleventh;hour/this claim Anil be conceded. .