MUDDLEEMENT OR INDIFFERENCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2854, 19 August 1916, Page 7

MUDDLEEMENT OR INDIFFERENCE

Sir,—Hundreds of sorely-tried and tempornril.v distrnuglif, parents, including myself, will thank The Dominion for your leader as above. 1 travelled -101) miles to sen my son away, but with (lie-contusion confounded, I never got a sight of him, although I had a kit with over ,C 2 worth of little comforts for the voyage; and many more were like mo. "Where's my boy?" wailed a mother from Nelson, while a man from Hokianga, wlio bad spoilt four days' travelling, failed to find his son. Then I set to work out a plan, which I immediately sent to the Defenco Minister. The captain of one of the largest boats leaving Wellington said it was an up-to-thc-last-minute idea for the self-regulation of crowds. Briefly, I proposed that a troopship would lie on each side of the shed, and over each door would he placed a largo board with the name of the transport and tho letters A to P (first door), U to L (second), M to B (third), S to Y (lourth). 'J'Den, on tho steamers sido similarly-marked hoards in the. same order would he hung, and the CO. would order those men who expected friends and whose initials corresponded with those on the boards to take their places accordingly, while the next-of-kin admission cards would have the transport's name stamped on them. Mow, tho doors being opened, tho crowd surges into the shed, and, say, that Private Myrtlo's father and mother aro being swept along (that is tlie actual word). They look nip, and sco "Rotoumhana, M t(i R," then get to this door, walk across the wharf, and their boy awaits them; the whole crowd automatically resolving itself into farewell parties, minus trio strugswearing, Hopeless crush that has disgracod all departures. In my letter, I added that as the Defenco Department was overworked, if 1 were given a returned trooper tor two days, I. would provide tho hoards, paiut, and erect at my own expense, as I give nil m,y war profits away to tho funds; and in cast- ot any misunderstanding, I.'put. it in plain English 'lint my offer was conditional on no reimbursement heme offered or asked for my services. Well, Sir, 1 L'ot the enclosed letter, which is a model of lucidity, telling us that if there wore lip people on wio ivhaif there would bo no crowding. This was m Dccsmber last, and the Defence officials are to be congratulated on "preserving the best traditions of tho War Oliiee" (England) in its treatment of "these fellows with new ideas, you know," for I have never heard another word about H, but your leader shows that tho muddlemont continues,—l am, etc., W. K, WRIGHT. Rahotu, Titranaki.