CORRESPONDENCE SOLDIERS’ LEAVE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 264, 7 October 1942, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE

SOLDIERS’ LEAVE

(To the Editor.)'

Sir, —Mr Jones says it is to relieve the burden on railways that our men have had to forfeit their week-end leave. Yet in to-night’s paper —wonder of wonders—l see advertised special race trains to the Otaki races. What a colossal imposition. I wonder what “explanation” will be givon for this? The mothers of families arc the ones who will still remember, when it is long forgotten by our very astute leaders, what a sickening mess they arc making of their leadership. —I am, etc., ANOTHER MOTHER. Oct. 6, 1942.

Sir, —I wish to draw attention to the treatment, which has been meted out to soldiers, particularly the ones for overseas service, re cancellation of week-end leave. This means in some cases that a soldier cannot see his wife and family for four months, at the end of which time he may even be on final leave. This seems to me, as it certainly must to others, very drastic action. One way to have this matter rectified is for the public to come forward and express their feelings through your paper. Only then will the Government sec the unfairness of this regulation. Hoping to see some more correspondence on this subject.—l am, etc.. PUBLIC FEELING.

Sir,- —While sympathising with “Young Mother” and “Y’oung Mother of Two,” I can’t help wondering if they ever cast a thought to the mothers whose husbands have been away for nearly two year# and more —and who volunteered into the bargain! After all it is the marriedjncn with families who have a great deal more to fight for than single men. We don’t see our husbands even occasionally; we only have the constant thought and worry of our men being in danger, or ill in a strange land. We are two years of worry' and separation ahead of these young mothers. Buck up, young mothers, and remember that war with Adolph Hitler is indeed a serious business and calls for many sacrifices by us all. We must pull together for victory.— I am, etc., MOTHER OF THREE.

Sir, —I wish to support the letters of other wives in your columns regarding the cancellation of soldiers’ leave. Such an inconsiderate piece of legislation must be repealed. It is obvious that glimpses of home and families mean much to a married man. Weekend leave is necessary for men in the Army. For these men who arc going away to fight for us. many to give their lives for the cause of freedom, it should be regarded as a right, not as a privilege. I place myself alongside the woman 'who asserts that she is determined to fight for the right to see her husband at regular intervals before final leave is given. Mr Jones’s statement that 10 days’ final leave with free travelling will be granted is not generous at all. Such a provision is of no use to the wife who is in employment. We do not mind doing our bit; but wo do demand some consideration for our efforts and the right for ourselves and our children to see our menfolk while they are in New Zealand.—l am, etc., ANOTHER WIFE.

Sir, —I wish to voice my opinion of, and protest against, the latest restriction placed on soldiers’ weekend leave. Many grade 1 men have been shifted far from their homes, and now we are told their monthly week-end leave is to he cancelled. How long will this cancellation of week-end leave be in operation? If it is for the duration of the war, it will give rise to a new set of problems both immediate and future. The immediate result will be an increased travelling on the part of wives, ''unhindered by a family or travelling restrictions, to see their husbands, and in consequence an increased burden on our already overloaded railway system, and a diversion of money from a National Savings account. Later, families will go to the town nearest the father’s camp, and this in turn will give rise to a shifting population. Under these conditions the home deteriorates into a one or two-roomed affair. This, in fact, has already occurred to some extent in New Zealand, and we arc now reaping the bitter harvest of a lax and ill-united home life in child delinquency. For those whose economic or family ties prevent either travelling or shifting, it is a drastic imposition. Even if equality of sacrifice in wartime is impossible, let us at least try to equalise it by ameliorating the position of those wives and families so burdened by this cancellation of week-end leave. —I am, etc., VERITAS.