RETURNING SOLDIERS

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 139, 9 December 1918, Page 8

RETURNING SOLDIERS

SICK AND WOUNDED FIRST MINISTER'S ESTIMATE, To-day the Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen), in reply to Mr. C. J. Parr, said he anticipated that 8000 or 9000 sick and wounded soldiers would be returned to New Zealand beforo the end of February, and he expected that the transport of these cases would be complete before the end of March. It was impossible to allot a time for the fit men till peace had been signed, perhaps. A few men, regarded as urgently essential, were being brought back. As far as practicable, the working rule would be: First to go, first to return. Assuming that the returning of the big drafts of fit men began in March or April, it would probably take nine to twelve months to bring them all back. Preparations were being made for 2500 a week (10,000 a month), but he did not think that it would be possible to maintain that rate: Tho demobilisation work would be done on the voyage to enable the men to have direct run from the ship's side to their homes. "Too slow," interjected Mr. Pearce. "Good gracious me, could anything be quicker?" replied the Minister.* It seemed from subsequent remarks that Mr. Pearce had something else in mind. "An excellent plan," said Mr. Poole. "Very creditable to the Department," remarked another.