INVALIDED SOLDIERS

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 58, 6 September 1917, Page 3

INVALIDED SOLDIERS

A QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT

The Minister oi Defence was asked the following query by Dr. Thacker in Parliament :—

" In connection with the arrival of the hospital ship Marama at Auckland— (a) why the invalided soldiers wcto not allowed on shore; (b) why Colonel Purdy and his staff commandeered the saloon for luncheon and other purposes, to the detriment of the wounded soldiers and ship's staff; (c) why the soldiers' papers, scientifically docketed and arranged by the ship's sta-ff en voyage and in alphabetical order for each centre, were opened, shuffled, and finally ignored ; (d) why the soldiers were not examined at Auckland first, thus quickly getting these men on shore, the last Auckland soldier leaving the ship at 1 o'clock a.m. the next morning; (c) why during this time- visitors and friends of the soldiers going South were not allowed to have these men on shore and treat them as heroes?"

In answer the Hon. Sir James Allen replied : " (a) Experience has shewn most clearly that where they are proceeding further in a. hospital ship, it is most detrimental to the interests of invalided Soldiers to allow them on shore, (b) Colonel Purdy and the staff that worked simultaneously with him did not coin-, mandeer the saloon for luncheon. A large part of the saloon was required for the Medical Board and consequent clerical work; sufficient accommodation ■was left, however, to enable the officers who used, the saloon to have their meals there. Colonel Purdy and Colonel Christie, representing the Public Health Department, had both luncheon and tea. on shore. The staff referred to had their meals in the general room after the invalids- had finished. The invalids, except officers, always had their meals in, the general room, and not in the saloon, (c) The medical papers were not shuffled and finally ignored, as stated. This is clearly proved by the fact that each soldier went before the Medical Board with the Ship's and oversea medical papers, and that these papers ha<3 of necessity to be carefully scrutinised before a decision could be come to. (d) It is pointed out that all the invalids for the whole of New Zealand were examined at Auckland, and this naturally took some time. The original instructions were that the ship was to remain in the stream until boarding was completed ; it was, therefore, not necessary to take the Auckland men first, and arrangements were made accordingly. When the instructions were varied and the ship was brought alongside the wharf, although it was not possible completely to recast the arrangements, endeavours were made to complete the boarding of the Auckland men as soon as possible, (c) See reply to question (a.); unfortunately, .'the visitors and friends' do not always ' treat' the invalids in a manner most conducive to their well being."