DIGGERS’ NIGHT.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10725, 24 October 1928, Page 5

DIGGERS’ NIGHT.

R;SiA. RE-UNION

ENTHUSIASTIC FUNCTION

The Diggers had a night out last nicrht it was not wholly confined S, Digger. Practically all unite ot the Colonial and the Imperial Army being represented at the annual reunion. of the Gisborne iI.S.A. in the City Hall. The hall was decorated. 3 Hags, with cards, bearing the names of kattles in whu;h New Zealanders had played a prominent part, snaced - round the walls, . The fuhction was easily one of the most successful in thfei past .four .years, so far n S numerical strength is concerned, and excelled • any similar, function in enthusiasm.. The gathering was ; preGambriil, president, of,.the Gisborne R.S.A., with whom were Major General Young,, G 0 C.‘ of > Defence l 1 orces m New Zealand Lt.-L’ol. Hellier , Evans, of Brisbane: the Hon. K. S. Williams, Minister of Public Works, Mr W.. D. ii'ysnar, M.P., the Mayor, Mr D. W. Colenian ; Mr S. J. Harrison,' secretary of the Dominion executive of the* U S.A., and visitors from the East Coast, including -Captain Sherwood Halle, of Tokomaru Bay, and .Mr. W. Morten, of Tolaga Bay. Apologies were received from Mr Taphn of the Ruatoria Association, the Matakaoa Association, General’ Uussell,. Brigadier White and General Hart. ... v “This is the foilrth we-union . in Gisborne held under, the . auspices? of the R.5.A.,” , remarked Lt.-Col. Gambriil. .He expressed pleasure that the gathering was so large; but he hoped for a still bigger function next year. The Association’s financial membership now stood at 330, including 40 each from Tolaga Bay and -Tokomaru Bay. and 100 from Te Araroa. The work of tlie H fn the relief of Unemployment among ex-servicemen, , lie said, was wellknown. The last Poppy Day receipts totalled £294 12s Od gross, and after expenses were deducted a balance of £213 remained. During the previous year, , the Association had expended £llOO, including the Government subsidy on unemployment relief. Towards tliis object the Association had only .£213, the Poppy Day proceeds, at the beginning of the year, but thanks to a generous donation oi‘ £IOO from the AVaiapu Soldiers’. Trust, the Association had been able to guarantee £4OO, for relief of workless ex-servicemen this year. As a result, £7OO, including the -Government subsidy, bad been spent* this year, thus providing 30 ex-soldiers with aii .average wage of £4- per week. In’ return the men had carried out exceedingly good improvement works round the Cook Memorial, which was a national monument, and therefore the • Government must be gratified to know .that the money granted in subsidies had been thus expended. In addition, the road round Kaiti beach had been extended and improved $o that it was passable to .motor traffic. The work, done was extremely .useful, he claimed, and the money had been well spent. —(Applause.) ! ‘FA LLEN C OMR A DES. ” .. f, ■. . . Ealleh Comrades” was honored amidst-'a reverential silence. The toast was proposed l.y the Rev. Carr.' eron, who* said his duty was a great privilege and an honor. ‘‘Old memorories were conjured up,” he said, ‘‘of the comrade who greeted us with a hearty, slap on the back, who cheered us up when we were blue, who shared his parcel or his last fag, the comrade who got us home from the estaMinet when "... our ‘ legs were ‘ ‘ tired j” the comrade-who helped to put across the, . private salvaging stunt, and the comrade who always had a ready alibi to prove we weren’t there—the mate from the works; the pal from the. pffice and the college.’' When thoughts harked back to fall-, en comrades, thoughts of those “left behind” obtruded. Theirs was the harder job of watching, waiting and hoping, and carrying on. But their comrades who fell...would not have them nor woukl they aslv for sorrow, lie claimed, for did everyone not regard them as the glorious dead, with whom the bond of comradeship defied social barriers, creed and political views. The spirit oi passing the hat round, that had its birth across the waters, was ever present now, particularly when it .came to assisting a comrade in distress. He believed that fallen comrades would be more than satisfied that their self-sacrifice ’had united ex-servicemen as at the re-union that j night. Each year more of their number went to swell the ranks or those whose names were honored bv the toast and-these he regarded .as the fore-runners, who would answer to the question “How goes it Digger would, tell of how their comrades were carrying on. “ Whew our time comes to answer the call, “ e added, “fallen comrades will be there to .greet us with a ready alibi to .save us from the great 0.8. The toast was honored in silence, the gathering standing.

“ABSENT COMRADES.”

“Absent Comrades” was proposed ty Major A. Muir, who said that it was well to remember on such an occasion many old pals of war days, who were unable to be present and who more or less were forgotten. Strangely enough on such occasions the most remembered were the “hard doers,” but they had been the follows who had done their bit. and a bit more when, things looked blackest. It was to them he gave the to The toast was honored amidst musical honors. ; “N,z. R.S.A. EXECUTIVE.” , “The executive of the N.Z. R.S.A.” was, proposed by Mr G. Darton, who said that, although the hoys had done their “bit” they had not yet finished their job—they had not yet received' their “discharge.” It was realised'*'that once ex-servicemen came back they would be thrown upon an .unsympathetic world, pud it was only by sticking together that ex-servicemen could force the authorities to /assist them to help those of their menders who were disabled. in its efforts to. relieve unernplovment the ‘Association Had'not received from the public' the amount of monev required, and. therefore, he appealed to the executive of the X.Z. 11.5. A. to provide the • - extra .£2OO required this year to carry out the. programme of work. Association had proved that' its policy ■ of providing funds : to enable eX : se£vicemen to ohtain work, was the proper one. The boys did not want charity, But work, and bv providing that need the Association.had found a solution of. v the , , unemployment problem. The hoys did not want a dole, bait merely that the country should stand security for them to obtain work.- ■ : . - * , , Speakinw of the ex-servicemen s local relief "works the sucker ed that the authorities were dchgntod ' : Themeh had plaved the game throughout and had given fr.l’ va ua for ; everv pennv expended- td- eJe ~ ferred also* to the cordial relation-' -ship" that had- always between th# local and; the Dominion, . tive. and,;''expressed, the;;, hope.that .tliesp terms would continue. . ASSISTANCE TO RETURNED.. ■ \.p . r# r -,, i&sponding. Mr Harrison, seerq- . ■'of : J N ;Zv -11-. S, A l- executi v e, expressed pleasure in attending, this

being the hrst occasion he had had °,Lx™ eetl £ g ex j|erviccmen. in this centre. He ou|ne(l interestingly nofnt N - Z - executive. He + h lat P Day, startup u he P°PPy being adopted J + i ty - all the Allied count ,r ~o P s lnal object being to + organisations so that ■ • A would not be embarrassed in asdisabled men. Tliis scheme, houever, had been ’rejected. At nrst the poppies were obtained from i ranee but • now supplies were ; procured from England, where they by British. Legion, men, wliom had an average disability’ of 64 per cent.' Australia had . gone lurther and intended making their own of poppies. It was believed that it- would, take- . twelve men a year to make sufficient poppies for New Zealand, and it wa s intended to start these men on this work. He quoted some interesting statistics of expenditure by.the Dominion executive in the relief of disabled men and of unemployment among ex-servicemen. Since 1922, he .said, the N;Z;R,S,A, had spent £04,(J00, excluding \ Government sub*sic£ies;s which were the proceeds of Poppy. Day, so that with subsidies tile-.' Association had expended over £IOO,OOO in helping comrades. Last year the sum of £300,000 was raised, making over £20,0.00 with subsidies, and this had been expended, to keep from 600 to 800 men in employment for periods, ranging, from a week to months, in addition a grant of £SOOO was made by the Mar Funds Council for relief purposes and this too had been spent to .advantage. Poppy Day had a .two-fold appeal to the public—first its sentimental side and secondly by the fact that the funds were used to help the men in distress who were living. Therefore, if the R.S.A. existed only to “put over Poppy Day” once a year it justified its existence. The men in need of assistance were divided into three categories—the fit, the disabled wlio was a pensioner, and the disabled and prematurely. aged man who was not a pensioner. The Association had spent about £32,000 in all in the relief of unemployment of ex-servicemen during the y.ear 1927-2 S. He combatted the argument some people raised that the R.S.A. was spending too much in administrative expenses, by quoting the cost of £9500' spent last year which was only £ls. The Dominion executive' had had a hard battle with the Canteen Board to obtain the use of the accrued interest of the Canteen Fund for relief of unemployed, men, but on Friday night last the Board had decided to hand over £20,000. Thus, although the Gisborne branch might not receive the lull £2OO which Mr Darton appealed for, it would get a fairly large sum.

PREMIER’S GENEROUS OFFER

Continuing, the speaker said that the Prime Minister, Mr Coates, had announced at Carterton that any exserviceman in ddficulties should communicate with him', and bad consequently been inundated with letters from ex-servicemen. This had shown the ex-soldiers’ plight to the Premier, in jthe true perspective with the result that the R.S.A. had been asked to submit a scheme so that, these men could be assisted and which Mr Coates had promised to support if practicable to assist the ex-servicemen in distress.

SCHEMES FOR DISABLED MEN

The speaker referred to the criticism levelled at the Canteen Fund Board’s policy, but pointed out that the R.S.A. and the Board held identical views in that respect—they wanted the main fund conserved, but merely to spend the interest which amounted, to between £9OOO and £10.030 annually. The question of the ultimate expenditure of the Canteen Fund, totalling £200.000, was receiving enrefu} consideration: Was it to be spent on a veterans’ home, where a -man could sit in. the sun and wait to be carried .to the grave, /or a curative home where a man suffering from ailments arising from war service, and who coiilcl not obtain pensions, could be treated and taught a trade ? He- thought it would be possible to acquire a, small area and buiki a home for disabled men of ‘this type, where a man could be taught basket, leather and similar types of woik. It was hoped that some practical village settlement scheme for disabled ex-servicemen on these lines could be submuted to the Government, and which, when all returned soldiers had “gone West” cotild be carried on as a home for industrially disabled. If such a project could be successfully accomplished the Association would have achieved something for the country and the men.—(Applause.) Lt. Colonel Hellier Evans, in -proposing the toast of “His Majesty s Forces.” expressed pleasure at being able to return to New Zealand after sixteen years’ absence in Australia. particularly to bo re-united to old friends in his birthplace in Gisborne. The administration of the Defence Department in the Dominion had always been in the hands of capable and efficient officers, he said, and that was the reason that New Zealand had been able to send overseas one of the finest forces in the world to maintain the honor and traditions of the Empire POPULAR GUESTS Major-General Young, G. 0.0 of the N.'Z. Defence 1 Forces, was greeted with an enthusiastic reception, un rising to respond to the toast He expressed his great pleasure at being able to attend the function, adding that he would not have been present but for the fact that the H.B. Company, which lie commanded during the war, included a platoon from. Poverty Bay, who had seen him through. lie delighted the audience with several war stories in lighter vein, which provoked roars of laughter, raid the gathering demanded more, and he was compelled to accede. He thanked them for the warm reception accorded him, stating that the fact of having the backing of ex-servicemen gave him great heart in carrying on his iob.—-(Ap-plause.) “The Distinguished Visitors,” was proposed by Lt.-Col. Gambriil._who expressed the Association’s appreciation of Major-General Young’s, visit and also the presence of the honorary member.* r the Hon. K. S. AVilliams; also Messrs D. W. Coleman, Mayor, and Mr AA 7 . D. Lvsnar, M.P., besides visitors from the other districts.

The Hon. Iv. S. AVilliams, Minis-ter-of Public Works; was ' greeted with prolonged applause -and the singing of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” on rising to. respond. He expressed his pleasure at being able to attend as an honorary member of the-Association. He promised to do his best in the future, as in the past, to see that all ex-so’rvicemeh received the consideration they deserved from the proper quarters. He advised members. of the Association to stick together for they could secure more for their comrades by cooperative than individual effort. He promised; that if some practical scheme was evolved to help the exserviefeman he would do his. best to advance' if, in their interests.—(Applause.) , : ■ i The toast of the nursing division was proposed by,Mr J. R._ Kirk, /who, paid a striking tribute to the work of the nurses of all divisions over-

seas. • •, . ' ,' r ’’ 1 ; ■ The proceedings were .much, enlivened during the ■ 'ex r e fling by orchestral selections, .led hy Mr Geo, Craw-

tContd. at Foot of Next Column.)

sliaw, Mr AV. McClure leading the company in singing of popular airs. A memorable function was Brought to a happy conclusion a little later with the singing of the National Anthem.- " ; •'-.G