OLD SOLDIERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 129, 3 June 1927, Page 8

OLD SOLDIERS.

NOISY AUCKLAND MEETING. NEW EX-SERVICE UEAGUE FORMED. . FUND ADMINISTRATION CRITICISED. <■-••- DEMAND FOE..-INQUIRY. There was .far'more noise, than.-method at a meeting of ex-servicemen held in the Town ; Hah last evening to. ventilate certain grievances against the administration of the" Patriotic- Fund, and to demand" a .release of the money accumulated by toe Jfew-Zealand canteens .during war time. Resolutions to) this effect were carj-ied with;vociferous enthusiasm, but ,it can : hardly be said: that the gathering approached its task in a sensible or businesslike spirit. Every speaker was interrupted, there was a running fire of irrelevant comment, and one felt that there was a good deal of sense in the remark of one of the quieter members of the audience who declared that it would have been better to have held the meeting on a Sunday. morning, when minds 'were calmer and spirits less disturbed. .'.....;

However, one object of the gathering was attained, namely, the,: demand for an inquiry-int;o..the,two.fuHjds. Another object was also achieved, but not so successfully.' ," This, was the s formation of aA'new organisation to. .replace the Returned Soldiers' Association. Mr. Hall Skelton, who -presided,,said the associa-tion-had outlived its usefulness, and the time : had come when- it- should go, and make;room for a. more virile and -active I body.' He-was .subjected to a riot qf interruption, all of. which: he ;bore- with tact and good will, but it ,was%>bvious that the vote forthe neworganisation— to be: called-the New Zealand Ex-service League, was not vto be unanimous.

The proposition, moved 'by Mr.. A. MeCorraick, provisional chairman , of the committee, war first decjde4>by!'"aye w or "no-".' There was a loud about by the "noes,* , "but, as the chairman remarked, ft few people can make a lot,of noise, and $u wuld let at be decided ? by a ehenr of hands. . There was a a consider-, •Me/immbe* of hands put up for the negative,,but the motion was well and : •jS£'*£ irr^ d * - was also decided to African veterans to the eomewhat awkward «oldier.

"What about a South African man who'e a member of the Returned Soldiers' Association.?" he inquired. "Well, he can join the new .-League just the same," wsis the chairman's diplomatic answer. . * The Humorous Side. The lack of discipline, which was so painfully evident, robbed the meeting of a good deal of its im.pressiveness, but it certainly added to its humour. - "Old soldiers never die," and last night a good many of them were evidently determined not to fade , " away. The discussion on the canteen funds was interspersed with plenty of canteen phrases. "Put a time limit on the speakers," said a man in the middle of the halL "It doesn't matter," : said a wag;. "there won't be mueli. to limit at the rate we're going on!"

The chairmanv and the principal speakers were not to be discouraged by the noisy, element, however, and the serious business of the meeting was at last accomplished. Mr. Hall Skelton, in his opening address, declared that thousands of pounds bad • been subscribed. to the Patriotic Fund during the war, and the money was now locked up in the keeping of local bodies. Many a disabled soldier had had his pension cut off undeservedly, and there were medical minions working at the behest of the Government who were determined to cut down pensions at all costs. The time had come when the administration of the Patriotic Fund and the accumulated money of the Canteen Fund should be fully inquired into. N

Nearly £300,000 in Canteen Funds. Mr. McCormick said he bad been informed that there was over £200,000 in the canteen funds, and the trustees intended to let the fund accumulate until the time came when money wo?ild be loaned to ex-soldiers, who woulfi have to pay it back. That, he declared, was a wrong principle. • '

Later in the meeting the chairman was asked-how much the canteen funds amounted to. Mr. Hall Skelton replied that he could not give an exact figure, but he had reason to believe, it was in the neighbourhood of £280,000. On the motion of Mr. .A. *W. Flyger, provisional lution was carried demanding that the canteen funds should be immediately released for distribution.

Miire disorder followed, but a good hearing was given to Mr. McCorraick, who explained that the-provisional committee of-the league had in mind a scheme for providing work for ex-ser-vicemen. A sum of £500 would enable 14 men to be settled on the land. What the men of New Zealand wanted was work—permanent .work, and not an occasional day or two at Points Chevalier— and the league was determined to "get a move on."

A vote of thanks to Mrs. Nicol, and the singing of * the National Anthem brought a remarkable meeting to %clote.