WAR PROMOTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 66, 17 March 1916, Page 7

WAR PROMOTIONS.

VETEKans TREATED

UNJUSTLY.

COHPLADs'T TO MINISTER.

(Bj Telegraph-Special to ■•star.'O

CHRISTCHURCH, his day. Chri -VIA 0 "; J / IneS Allen arrived ; " U.n = tchurch to-day, and left for Urevmrfuth where he speaks. Mr aS "T °V VaS ? rawn to « statement made on the authority of some men wU» returned by the Tahiti regarding alleged remarks by General Godlev on promotion*. Mr. Allen said that" promotions were recommended by General Godey. who was the only man in" a position through his subordinate officers, to know what men were nwiet worthy ot rceeivdjng commissions. It was impossible for him (Mr. Allen) to judge ot the worthiness of men from this end.

In connection with the recommendation of these non-coms., an interesting story is told. A little while ago noncommissioned officers who had been at the front since the landing, and had been serving ever since the outbreak of the war, began to more than murmur at the fact that they were receiving very few chances of promotion. The result was that representations were made on the subject by all the non-commissioned officers in the force to the general ! officer commanding through company officers. It was pointed out that, despite the fact that it had .been promised that 5(1 per cent of the vacancies caused oy casualties would be filled by promotion-j on the field, only about 25 had been made, whilst up to September close on 200 of the vacancies had been filled by officers coming out with reinforcement drafts, it was stated that General Godlev a day or two later announced that the representations had his entire sympathy, l.ut he could not help the trouble, a-s new officers were coming from New Zealand. He said he was arranging for eleven commissions a month to be awarded to New Zealanders. six for the New Zealand force and five for the British Army. One of the men about to be promoted stated that he had been leeommended for a commission on four different occasions, but on each occasion a reinforcement officer came along.