DEFENCE OFFICE MUDDLING

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12044, 14 August 1902, Page 4

DEFENCE OFFICE MUDDLING

The world has been filled lately with complaints about the awful muddling - and maladministration of the British War Office, and Mr. Seddon, our Defence Minister, has talked on the topic in a tone of great superiority. But it would seem that our. ,t New Zealand Administration, with an infinitely smaller field, is in no better position* We had a visit yesterday from a number of the troopers of the Seventh Contingent the men who proved themselves such heroes at Bothasberg—who told us ? that they cannot get their discharges or their arrears of pay." The failure to issue their discharges is a very serious matter to them. Some of them have been in the Government service," and—it looks like farce I the Departments, will not take them back because they cannot show their discharges, while the Defence Department will not give them their discharges. Another farcical curiosity of the situation is that the men of the Eighth Contingent, who were only In Africa y for four or five months, have been paid up and discharged, while the unfortunate men of the Seventh are kept hanging on. These men returned to New Zealand by the troopship Manilla, landing at Wellington on June 25, and their utmost efforts/since have failed. They cannot find out precisely where the blame is. They are leg-weary trudging up to the Defence Office, only to be told by Lieutenant-Colo-nel Beid that he can do nothing for ; them, and that he cannot tell them where to go for satisfaction. . They say that this kind of thing is more wearing than fighting the Boers. There are some fifty-two men in the Auckland section and they have about £12 15s each to receive. Why do not our Auckland members take up a matter of this kind and compel the Minister for Defence to give a reason in the House 1