CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FOR THE TROOPS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2588, 9 October 1915, Page 3

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FOR THE TROOPS

QUESTION' OF DELIVERY 'AGAIN.

In the Legislative Council oil Thursday S e jp on - Jones again referred to' the fact that parcels sent to. the "troops did not reach their destination. He contended that if the Government found it 'Was impossible under the present circumstances for parcels to reach ! their destination'they should state' so at once to the public, so that the parcels need no longer be ( sent. Many valuable parcels for ~the comfort and luxury of the troops wore, being, sent now. He moved: "That, as - it. is : freely ; alleged Mat the parcels which are being sent to/ tlio. soldiers .of the !• Expeditionary l'orces do a rhle reach their destinations, it is desirablo that the Government should take as prompt and effective action, as possible, with a view to securing tlio delivery of the parcels to thoso for whom they are intended." Tho Hon. J. Barr seconded the motion, and said, that it was most disturbing to',the parents to think that parcels sent! did not reach their boys. 1 The Hon. Sir Francis Bell said that it' was impossible to .ensure, that, the parcels > reached• ■ their destination. The transports had . more important mat-' tors to-look, after,; and . the delivery became ■a: civil- matter -for the' post office. The officers were, desirous that -parcels should Teach the men, but they aid not have much time to look after those matters;' Therefore the Government appointed the best civil officer obtainable, Colonel R.-H. Rliodes, to look into the. matter. ' He could not' hold out hope that the transports would make the delivery of parcels the first consideration, , and lie could not hold out hope that the Government would order them to do, so. .The best they could do was to. establish a New Zealand civil administration near thij-front, He believed thero was a reasonable civil administration-there now upon which this duty rested. ,He had every 'sympathy in the. matter,, but they would not say that the military would bo ordered ,to make ;this a first duty. Tho Hon; Sir Walter Buchanan thought that ; the non-delivery', of- a largo"number 'ofjpareels! was .easily 'accounted for.. He! .had communicated with the. Secretary of the, Post . Office, and- found that instead of these parcels' being sent via Suez they went by direct ordinary steamers to "Loudon. He concluded that they were still in "the docks in London, for there ,was a great accumulation of goods there. - The rea- , son why the-parcels were not first sent by the shortest route was that the mail boats had been commandeered, and the mails could y not be,'relied on. - "While there was no doubt there, must have' been laxity in some directions, - matters of this kind were subject :to exaggeration. i

■Tho Hon. C; A. C. Hardy thought that a. great deal of-the trouble arose through'insufficient addresses. ; .

• The, Hon. G. : Jones thought that;th'o ; addresses were pretty accurate. •> He gratefully recognised the good work done by Captain Bilton and his staff in dispatching parcels," but all 'their' efforts (vent- in vain' if something was' iipt'dorio to seo to'the delivery in Cairo. Ho did not mako the request that the military should undertake the work—ho only asked that the Government should see that it was done by. some means. '.The motion was.carried.