NEW ZEALAND’S NEW ARMY

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 69, 14 December 1939, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND’S NEW ARMY

Active Interest Of R.S.A.

ROLE OF “ELDER BROTHER”

ADOPTED

"Since the outbreak of war the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association has striven to do whatever lay in its power to help iu the tremendous task thirl lies ahead of New Zealand as a co-partner in the British Commonweal Hi of Nations,” said Mr. I’ery, M.L.C., Dominion president of the organization, in a statement yesterday. "First and foremost the association has taken an active interest in the welfare of the men of the 2nd N.Z.E.F., among whom are to be found many men who served in the Great War. The association feels tbat its experience and advice should be useful to the new army and has adopted the role of ‘elder brother’ to the men of that army. Representations on many subjects, particularly pensions, pay and allowances, patriotic funds and wet canteens have been made to the authorities.

"The association holds that all the benefits of the war pensions legislation passed during and since the Great War should be available to the men now serving, and to this end is making representations to the Government in respect of certain, anomalies found to exist in the pensions legislation of last •session. It is hoped that these anomalies will be removed when Parliament reassembles in February next.

Patriotic Funds

‘Tartly due to representations made bv the association, the National Patriotic Fund Board was set up, which will control the expenditure of all moneys and the distribution of all goods sent overseas for the benefit of the troops. It strongly supported the Government in its .policy that all canteen profits should go hack to the men. It further strongly and successfully advocated that the canteens should be manned by exsoldiers of the last war and has urged that a canteen fund board be set up comprising representatives of the Navy, Army, Air Force and R.S.A. "The association has been instrumental in establishing bureaux in certain camps where free legal advice and other igeneral information has been made available to the men. Further, the privileges of all R.S.A. club rooms have been made available to them.

Equality of Sacrifice.

"The question of obtaining adequate reinforcements for the 2nd N.Z.E.F. is causing the association grave concern. Present indications are that the voluntary system of recruiting will not provide the reinforcements required. At the last annual general meeting of the council of the N.Z.R.S.A., held in June, three months before the outbreak of war, the association unanimously declared its support of the principle of compulsory universal national service, even in peace time. “The necessity is infinitely greater now. It is felt that the fighting men should not be asked to make all the sacrifice—that there should be, as far as is humanly possible to achieve it, equality of sacrifice by the protected and their protectors. The association will strive to the utmost to ensure that adequate reinforcements will be available and that the whole community will bear its share of the burden of the war.

"The men of the new army may rest assured that both here and abroad and after their return their welfare will have the unremitting attention of the N.Z.RJS.A.”