RETURNED TROOPERS.

Northern Advocate, 19 August 1902, Page 2

RETURNED TROOPERS.

1 (To the Editor.) } Sir, — There can bo none of us, "who ' havo any feeling, whethor we have had sous serving in South Africa or } 1 not, who do not burn with indignation , at the accounts, that we gather from tlie troopers who have returned by the Bri'annic. And to those, who ' have had, or still have, dear ones s serving in South Africa the feeling is , of course exceptionally poignant. , But we must not forget that the deaths have been caused in many instances, probably, by the intense stupidity of ( placing men just returned from Routh Africa on, perhaps, one of the bleakest spots in the North Island of New Zealand. Your correspondent "Indignant " of yesterday, must not think that he has a monopoly of indignation. "Indignant " moreover should not confuse things. The question that he asks as to how many people understand the word discipline can not, obviously, be ascertained, but I am tolerably certain that he himself does not. "Indignant" talks of "serfs and slaves," what claptrap ! Because, a man bas to obey the orders of; an officer, in details, on shore, or afloat and deservedly gets punished, if he does not! Then your cx^rjrespondent, goes on board the Britannic when she brought the Imperial troops, and talks to a soldier of a Highland regiment ; the Tommy tells him his officers are "cads and haws haws," " Indignant" is told also they "have never seen the Highlands, (which I suppose is synonymous with being a cad) and on this your coi'respondent asserts that the officers of the regiment were, young men "for whom billets hapY to, be 1 found." Does "Indignant" know that the only way to get a commission in the army to-day, is to pass, tw^il examinations, or to be promoted frpiffi| 1 the ranks ? What is really the faulty ' in the officering of the army is, thaj| . the pay is utterly inedequate for thei-; , many incidental expenses. And no ) doubt this does keep many good men . out of the service, and lets " noodles " into it. I have no doubt that the accommodation, and bad food, and scarcity i of food, what you, sir, rightly describe as "fraud, parsimony and illtreat ' ment " have occasioned much of the sickness, on board, not only of the Britannic, but the Drayton Grange " and other transports. I should L cordially agree with " Indignant " in " laying the blame on the officer in ; command and his subordinates if I L did not believe, that the wretched " system of catering by contract as you, '' sir, have pointed out, is the main ' cause of the evil. But, I also believe, quite apart from the circumstances, i which are filling us all with sq much > \ distress, that our colonial soldiers, in common with all our colonial youth, •do not understand that discipline would make them^ better. , men and ! better soldiers. If I am wrbngjYl am ' wrong in gopd , qompany;, for ihs was* s the ' expressed opJriioDsJLpf; a Major; ' J^P^ral She, HectprY