AN ALLEGED SCANDAL

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 79, 1 October 1919, Page 7

AN ALLEGED SCANDAL

SOLDIER'S INJURIES

RESULT OF INVESTIGATION-.

On the sth August, 1919, the Country Press; Wliakatane,)' published an article under the following heading: "Case for the R.5.A.," "An Army Scandal," "Ruined and Tossed on the Scrap Heap." The article set out, in a highly coloured manner the extraordinary story of Private Malcolm Nicol M'Cready, of the 9th, New Zealand Reinforcements, who, having broken both his elbows while on military service, had been shamefully neglected by the officials of the Defence Department, and thrown upon a. cold and unsympathetic world, without'medical'treatment or pension. A Court of Enquiry was set up to investigate these extraordinary statements and M'.Cready was .invited to attend and present his case.- A repoi*t of the Court of Enquiry is now 'to hand, and, in substance is as follows-:

" The Court is of opinion that a great preponderance of evidence goes to <show that M'Cready had suffered original injuries to both elbows before entering on any military service whatever, but that the old injury to the right elbow received a'slight aggravation during his period of service with the Awanui Wireless Station Guard. The Court finds that this minor injury to the old injury was. received in the course of a football match arranged by the wireless operators and the members of the guard for patriotic purposes, and which was played in the latter end of November, 1915, and that this minor aggravation of the old injury was not serious, and was not sustained while on military duty.

"A. written statement, signed by M'Cready on the 21st February, 1916, three months after the- football match, was produced. In this M'Cready states that he had not reported the injury before as he did not think that it was serious.' His unsworn statement given- to the Court was in direct variance with his own written statement. Further evidence showed that the. minpr injury sustained, at football only -necessitated M'Cready being put on light duties for a period of about ten days, and that thereafter during the whole" period'of his ser^ vice with the guard he carried out all duties -common to that guard, with the exception of one form of physical exercise. The Court finds 110 evidence of neglect, and shows that M'Cready. suffered no incapacity other than such as would be peculiar to the original preservice injuries, and that he was able to carry out his. duties without complaint or suffering. The Court found M'Cready'a unsworn evidence to be unsatisfactory. .

"After leaving the guard/ in April, 1916, M'Cready went to-work, and carried out sundry jobs,, including that of a bricklayer's labourer for a few ays. Dr. Ventry-Smith, who on the 13th July, 1916, gave M'Cready a certificate to the effect that lie was suffering from a separation of: the right olecranon process of the ulna owing to an injury received at the Wireless Station, Kaitaia-, when giving; evidence before the Court, and from reference to his note-book^ stated that when he' examined M'Cready .dp. that occasion he judged from tho conditions existing that the^njury must have been sustained within the past tc-n days, and that with] the elbow in'that condition it would have been impossible for him to have undertaken work. This obviously suggests a further aggravation to the old injuries occurring in civil life early in July, 1916, and makes it utterly impossible to~ believe the theory that the injury examined- by. Dr. Ventry-Smith on the 13th July, 1916,- could, have existed ■in the neglected state since November, 1915-i V .;.. .; . :■:■ ■.. .-../•.- ---"After treatment by Dr. Ventry-Smith, M'Cready was able to resume work (drjving a cart and delivering bread) about the 20th August, 1916. -. "The finding of the .Court also shows that.M'Cready was pieced on duty in the Awamii wireless guard in an irregular manner,- as he was not attested for, military service, nor was he medically examined. It is plain that the highly coloured complaint made by M'Cready, and rrablished without verification by the County Pre^s, of Whakatane, and taken up by the Auckland branch of the Returned Soldiers' Association, amounted to nothing more than an attempt1 to obtain compensation or a pension from the' State, for injuries which" had not been received in the State's services. The action of the editor of the Whakatane County Press, and x>f the; local representative of the Returned Soldiers' Association, have necessitated an inquiry being held, and the. State has thereby been put to '■ considerable and useless expense."