HOME SERVICE MEN.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16851, 3 June 1920, Page 4

HOME SERVICE MEN.

OBJECTS or THE LEAGUE,

A well-attended meeting of tho local branch of the Home Servico League was hold last evening, Mr IT. G. Reeves presiding. The- secretary of the Central Executive

in Wellington, Mr IT. K. Elliott, who is a returned soldier, attended the and outlined various anomalies existing in ic-g-ard to men v.-he were engaged in home servico during the war. Mr Elliott pointed out that in a very gieat raimber of cases the man who went on home servico went through jv.st as groat a hardoliip in j-gard to bisbusiness as the man who went overseas. Ho e:Cplained tlio aims -and objects of tho League, and- urged various leasons _ why home- service men should participate in tho war gratuity, in the mufti allowance, in the increased separation allowance, etc., anrl explained that one of the main 01-jects of' tho League- was to bring about the enactment uf legislation whereby members should bo entitled to pnrtirip-it.i -'n the privileges £>n;l benefits of the Discharged Soldiers Sc-ttle-liient Act, 10)5, and its amendments, and

Hi® Repatriation Act, 1918. Other, aims cf tho Leaaraa were to obtain an. of "the regulations govciTiitig financial assistance, so that such nssis-tanM might bo granted to members of tho Association. It v.t.i licpod, Mr .Elliott stilted, to utiliso tho orgar.isa- ■ tion as a menus of social intercourse between members of the different branchc-3 throughout the Dominion, and generally to assist memben in obtaining relrc-33 or Ps-sistanc-o in any matters of hardship or 1-ya arising out c£ or attributable t» their military eervice. Another objcct of the League, he remarked, was to obtain tlio King's silver war badge

and the general service medal and ribbon, or some similar form cf recornition cf service in the form of an authorised medal, for those members not in receipt of <ither cr both. The League-, Mr KUiott vent on, wasi not a nonentity. H© had received tho unqualified promises of !V7 members cf Parliament to support the !Lea?pje's t'emands ks they stood. Ha outlined iha t«stiticm vrhic.li it w-as proposed to pre.-ent to Parliament, asking for the granting of the chief aims of the Loaguo. To that petition, he stated, the signatures of 5000 financial members were required, and lie strongly UTged that every effort should be mads to eecure the co-opera-tion of all homo servico men. Various speakers assured Mi* KUiott that Safore long the Canterbury Leaguo vrftuld have a strong membership. A number of nvc-stions vctc afterwards answered by Mr Eliioit, who was accorded a hearty vot-o of thanks.