DISSENSION & STRIFE

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 42, 18 February 1918, Page 2

DISSENSION & STRIFE

NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION COMMENTS- OF A MATN BODY MAN. The following communication,: written by a soldier-^a Main Body man —has been received by The Post :— "Reading over Mr. A. N. Poison's speeoh to th 6 electors of Wellington North in your issue of 14th February, I thought perhaps Mr. Poison must be labouring under a misapprehension, and it may do him good to know how our boys who are in the front line regard New Zealand and New Zealand affairs. I am now speaking of the boys who are and have been up against it—men that are making history and saving their country from disgraoe. "We are a proud lot, we New Zealanders. We are proud of our generate and senior officers who are leading us so ably on to victory and never sparing themselves (bb the casualty list shows) in the prosess, We are proud pf our womenfolk, our mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and sweethearts, who stay quietly at home and help us by being good and true to us because they are' proud that we consider them and New Zealand worth fighting for, and. we . feel better men knowing that daily their petitions go up to Heaven on our behalf, and we are grateful and proud that God has given us strength to protect them. We •are proud of our comrades who fight with us, for we know that under that rough, calm exterior there beats the heart of a true soldier and a man. He is prepared to die any minute that his country shall be free and his womenfolk be saved from. the outrages of the enemy. "We are proud, exceedingly proud, to be New Zealanders, and to belong to her and all that she stands for, for has she not attained and maintained an unbeatable record, a New Zealand standard? We are proud, more than.proud, of our legislation, and the way the two sides of the House joined forces and formed the National Ministry, and framed the Compulsory Service Bill, and the. way j they have proved equal to every emergency and demand made upon them, and have been instrumental in placing New Zealand where ehe i 6 to-day, at the top of the list, 'and the most prosperous of

"Yes, I am glad to be> in,' New Zealand again, for it is indeed God's own ..country, and we regard,it from the continual dull machine-like routine and the army rations as one is taught to regard heaven from his mother's knee. .

■ "However, there are some matoe.rjs in: New Zealand that Qur boys are not proud of. For. instance, certain individuals raise their voices and.find fault with everything that is being, and has been done to incite young able men to object to serve their country, and thus hanvpev" the country at a time wlien all should be helping. Sometimes- one of these parties will get a few months' imprisonment, biifc our men are unanimous that they are traitors to their country, and should ba treated ac we would treat a spy or traitor, on service. I should like to warn some of these individuals, agitators and soap-box orators, that they had better "make good their exit, vanish as it were, before our boys return, or they will be dealt with in amanner that they will little appreciate. I read in. Melbourne certain printed matter that had been distributed throughout Australia by a Wellington man. . He stated that boys of tender years were torn away from, their homes and sent to France without their parents' consent or knowledge, and a lot more such stuff. All I can say is that, having, a. son of seventeen and a-half years who was exceedingly anxious to enljet, I approached tho military authorities to find what prospect there was of getting him enlist-, cd. However, I'was'turned-down' most .emphatically, with 'You must produce his birth certificate. He "must be over nineteen years of age, and must have both parents' written consent.'

"I feel, with thousands of others, that there is something wrong, and I sometimes wonder if democracy will not annihilate itself. It will, for gure, if it fosters individuals who by misrepresentation stir up dissension and strife (and cause people to strike and resist s'ervioe), thus causing the people themselves considerable suffering and financial loss, ana hampering the industry of a prosperous country. It will, if tliey are al-. lowed to' have a' free hand—individtials who are traitors to their .country in every sense of tT)6 word. ■ "Re Mr. Poison's criticisms upon the inefficiency of our medical officers, a term of service would undoubtedly enlighten him upon many points; there are men who are sent from New Zealand who wish to have the trip and come back and take all the credit of the good work that has been done by the fine fellows who really get;there, and so many of whom never get back. The men I am referring to never get there. They get as far as England or Egypt, but never across the -Channel or the Canal. ... .

"Mr. Poison claims that lie will do great things; he will increase pensions that are more liberal than ever any Main Body man ever dared to expect! I have a wife and five children, and when I joined in 1914 my eldest child was under fourteen years and my youngest was jsix months. I had always expressed my determination to jpiu if ever war. existed between Germany and England, that is,providing I was young enough, and I assured my wife that no matter what hap]»*ned I was quite satisfied that our authorities would ti-eat our dependents liberally and well. ,On niy return a few weeks ago I went and enquired what pension had been allowed my brother's widow and four children, and I,.found they were drawing £208 per annum. I enquired what had been done for tho' five orphan brothers and sisters of two of my nephews, one being killed and the other wounded. I find that these five children, who are under sixteen years of age, are drawing 3s per day from the pay of the wounded brother and get £195 per annum pension for the one killed. The mother' of two other nephews killed is. drawing allotments from two boys on service and a liberal pension iav the two killed. Is Mr. Poison going to beat that ? The sane, calm, thinking people of New Zealand know full well tho value pf the level-headed man, and will not be misled by empty promises. No, I don't know one of the present Ministry personally. I was at one time one of the Prime Minister's constituents, but he would not know me from a, bar of soap. However, with the lads on the other side, I am proud of them, and would be pleased to shake them, by the hand and tell them so. "All I can say is, God bless them and all New Zealaiiders, and may their vision be kept clear, may their men be ever brave and their " womenfolk ever true, and may New Zealand ever prosper and maintain tho proud position that she holds to-day. ..."