SECOND DIVISION MEN AND DEPENDANTS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15929, 16 June 1917, Page 8

SECOND DIVISION MEN AND DEPENDANTS.

to. Tin? EDiTon o» "the rnMs."

Sir, —In view of tho comparatively short pariod of timo lapsing boforo tho Socond Division will bo required, I should lileo to draw tho attention of your paper and its readors to what is to mo, and I nm-turo is to many otliors, r vory eorlous jwsition, Members or the First Divl&bn have appoalod on tho grounds of rnduo hardship, having to support thoir (parents, or to contri-. buto to Bamo aiid havo been told by tho Boards that they can allot part of their pay—whicli may or may not bo equal to their past contributions—and Icavo their dependants provided for, Now, a very different position arise* in tho caso of tile Second Division, A rccrait may lento, any, 4a per day to hia wife, and sli> will also bo able lo rocoh'o tho separation allowance of Is, making Gs* por day, or 85s per woek, But what about other grown-up dependants? Say tho recruit ls*a!so tho fiole support of Hs father and mother, or with, say, a [brother, '•> their solo support, and bom aro called up. The Dpfenco authorises will not even pay tho parents a separation allowance in addition to tho tllowance to tho wifo. The wife is barely provided for, and tho parents not at rill. Sir James Allen *av3 that tho qujstlon is too largo for tho Govornnventito tacklo, but ampla provlaion is mads bv tho right of ap- +„ jvyifds. Appeal! What forp Exemption? Who wants exemption? Not I, fqr onej all I want is provision for my dependants, and certainly not my jt-ivato affairs and responsibilities discussed in ever}* newspaper in tho Doninion. S'r, what diWcnlty | n there faiinsr tho Government? Onn they not pthvido a separation or othor allowance (the namo is nothing) for, any, parents l who nro bololv depondent on a SeconiJ Division nuw called tip, say up to Sh per wosk. (In ennF'dering this you mur.fc remember that no nl'orntio* of pay ran bo mndo, pamo having be<p made to th»« vi'e.) Tho facts could, oasilv bo ve'ifu.d by tho local constnVo on enquiry, and f_ r _and coitl'l onaly Ik> circumvented. Sir tho Government m»>t fnote, othorw'se a S'vjind Division nian'i parents dependent on him mn«t starvo or livo 01 cbariv, Now. your pnoor undoubtedly wio>ds a powerful infill--enco. aid if yoii took uo th's uiattor wMoheflrt-My. i» nmln and airam to the 7 n*" von, r-r>nM cftivi*rv> „., r tv ,lU,> O J '♦•inndq n? thr» sjf t-^nMng +ho of +ii«i rcin''v a<i b"inr*, and not an In-in* of ptono. Sir, I ai onrijest to you to tako thia mattel up.—Yours. etc. j CLASS '!•