CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 99, 28 April 1945, Page 4

CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

RELEASE OP MARRIED MEN To the Editor In reply to "A Concerned Parent," I wish to assure him or her that I am in full sympathy for the youth of the Air Force who are anxious to return to civilian life. However, I would point out that in my original letter my chief complaint was that the terrific cost is not commensurate with the effort being expended by the service. Apparently "Concerned Parent" agrees with me in this direction by expressing the opinion that the most expensive members are the married men. Despite this fact, the letter concludes with the astounding statement: "I would say release all youths who joined the service at 18 by replacing them with married men." I should also point out that there are many educational classes being conducted by the Air Force for the younger members, so there is no reason why a young man should not obtain some benefit from them. Furthermore, surely the writer will agree that boys of 18 and older are far better fitted physically to stand up to the rigours of service life than married men over 35 (who, by the way, have family responsibilities). With regard to mature men having suffered little through the war, I can only say that in my particular case I served 12 months in the tropics and am still suffering from a disability contracted while there. In addition, my pre-war income was over £1000 net per annum received for a position which took 10 years' hard graft to obtain. However, that's all in a lifetime, but I still insist that it is time many of us were returned to civvy street once again. CONCERNED AIRMAN AGE 39.