RETURNED SOLDIER IN THE FIELD

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 77, 27 September 1918, Page 3

RETURNED SOLDIER IN THE FIELD

MR. GARMSON'S CANDIDATURE

I There was a small attendance at the Scottish Society's Hall, Tory-street, last night, when Mr. L. J. F. Garmson, a returned soldier, opened his campaign in connection"-with the Wellington Central seat. Mr.- N. ' J Bennington presided, and referred to the fact that Mr. Garmson had done excellent journalistic service in camp, and was now imbued with the belief that He,'as a returned soldier, could do valuable work in solving the repatriation problem that-was going to be such an important factor in the future of the; Dominion. Ho added that Mrs; Cooke, .the candidate's mother, had taken a prominent part in New Zealand politics in the earlier, days. of New Zealand's political development. ....,- Mr. Garmson, in the course of his address, 1 said he stood in the interests of the hundred* thousand men who had left New Zealand, and their dependents. They were at.least entitled to representation in Parliament. Returned soldiers were not.getting a square deal. They didn't want charity. They merely wanted justice. They wanted to know definitely what they were going to get, but up to the present that had not. been forth-, coming. A man got a pension for six months, but it was subject to periodical review and contraction, and the result might 'easily be that, in'a little while it would disappear altogether. Before a man. got to the firing line he had to undergo about six.or seven months' training, and yet when a man returned he was expected to be converted into a capable citizen, in twenty-four hours, though he might be broken in heallh and broken in spirit. They were going to'put returned soldiers on the land. The hearts of many would be broken before the land was , broken in. The land' should be improved; before returned soldiers" were put upon .■ it. . That work of improvement could be done by conscientious objectors. Ho had no use for that class,,but they ; and the German prisoners could be made use of. The Germans did not worry about the way they used conscientious objectors or British, prisoners. He com.plained that* the Government' had no-set plan for the conduct of the returned soldier problem, the reason being that there was no returned soldier who could tell the Government what was necessary. That could'only be done by putting a returned soldier into Parliament, a man who would be capable of telling Parliament and the people of the Dominion what ought to be done. The candidate paid a high tribute to the nurses at jthe front. They heard a lot about the officers and the men, and all sorts of other things, but they never heard of subscriptions being got up foivthe nurses, who, in many cases, bled and died with the men who had fought and bled on the field. (Applause.) They should receive as much recognition as the men themselves .(Applause.) He believed in women employees being paid the same wages as those paid to men.for similar work. As to the tramway men, he would give.them the Is id an hour that they were asking for.. . „ > Someone present asked: "Would you give the manager £1800 ,a year ?" • "Yes, I would reduce- that a little," said'the candidate. He contended that the cost of living problem could be solved by the Governi 'siit putting into operation measures already on the Statute 1 Book, but" so far.no Government had dared to apply those statutes. He favoured making the Legislative Council elective, and contended that the area of land that could be held by any one person should be reduced: from 610 acres to 200 acres. Pensions to returned soldiers should be made permanent. As to immigration, he' said the Hon. G. W. Bussell, had said he could; get any number of immigrants from Denmark' and Russia. "We don't want that class of immigrants," said Mr, Garmson. "If we can't get Britishers we don't want anybody.", (Applause.), :He would oppose the repeal of the Military Service Act, and in this connection he said he had a wife and five children when he went to the front. Men had gone who shouldn't' have gone, and men had been retained who ought to go. "If your pockets are deep ( enough you' can get ) out of going ahd fighting for .your country." (Applause.) In Tegard 'to the liquor question, he was in .favour ; of State control; the, question to be put. to,.the' people at the .earliest possible moment.. : •■'."• ' :

' Mre. Cooke also spoke. "She referred' to the fact that in. the earlier days, before women's franchise, she organised - the Liberal) vote,and the Labour vote, and had been instrumental in bringing into power the founder of.our labour laws—Mr. W. P. Reeves. ' She spoke strongly against a section of the employers, who, she declared, would always employ a ■woman if they could get her cheaper than a man doing the same work. (Aspplausa) She also^contended that iif Labour ,was' organised, and not split up by bigotry and. jealousy, it could get all it wanted; it would have the whole of the. country in tho hollow' of its hands. As to her son, she said he had not come back with crosses of honour, but he had the "crosees of honour in the two crutches, of which I am proud." (Applause.). The candidate was accorded a hearty vote of thanks., •. ■ • .