DISFRANCHISED SOLDIERS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 65, 17 March 1919, Page 4

DISFRANCHISED SOLDIERS.

Persons interested can get no satisfaction from the Government in respect to the disfranchising of discharged soldiers for the forthcoming licensing poll. The plain fact of the case is that these men have been deprived of their vote through no real fault of their own; they were led to believe they would be able to vote, and then a new condition was (imposed upon them through the " Gazette" only a few days before the roll, were closed. _Ir. C. J. Parr, M.P., rightly remarks ahout this that

soldiers recently returned were too busy with other things to notice what was now required of them.

The (Jovernment cays it cannot do anything, but the public will hardly be satisfied with its reply, and especially the attempt of S : .r .lameAllen to put the blame upon the soldiers, and his failure to express regret for the Government's blundering. Seeing that so much has been done by gazetted regulation, cannot this situation be put right by the same means? We notice Mr. Parr, who is a lawyer, believes that a new regulation, restoring the men's rights, might well be passed, and we hope that such a way out of the difficulty can be found. We also agree with Mr. Parr that if the men to be discharged between now and April 10 are to be disfranchised, the Defence Department should refrain from giving them, discharge*. At any rate, a man might be given the choice of being discharged and disfranchised, or remaining in the Army and having a vote.