THE CASUALTY PROBLEM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15950, 22 June 1915, Page 6

THE CASUALTY PROBLEM

Mr. Bonar Law, the new Imperial Minister for War, in reply to an inquiry of His Excellency the Governor, states that the Turkish.Goyernment has agreed to establish ,an information bureau, but " its' proceedings appear to be slow." It is hardly to be -wondered -at that there is delay, in' obtaining information from Turkey as to our "-missing " when there is so little diligence shown by our own military authorities in - supplying information as to our own dead. Seven weeks after the landing at Gaba Tepe lists of "kijledj in action" ' were dribbling through by cable; it was five weeks before any such lists of the rank and file were received in the Dominion. There may have been odd cases in which delay was unavoidable, but the great majority were unquestionably known to the authorities at the scat of wg,r at a very early date; for some inexplicable reason they were not forwarded, although there' was abundant evidence that the colonial losses had been very heavy. The same official incompetence or indifference probably causes the diffi-1 culty in obtaining any information as to the progress of those reported wounded. By all means we should have the earliest possible information as to the "missing," who may be prisoners in Turkish. hands,"but' what can be expected from the Turk when so little consideration is received from our own military authorities? We do not yet know whether all the earlier Dardanelles casualties have been reported, discrepancies in the proportioning of losses as between the various battalions causing, many to-fear that the returns are still incomplete. The Government should press upon the Imperial ' War Office a very reasonable demand that ljsts should be forwarded without delay,, and' that it should be definitely, stated whether the lists- are complete for given troops to a given date as far as known. - At the same time the attention of Mr, Bonar Law should be drawn to the unpardonable delay by which the anxiety of all relatives and friends has been needlessly aggravated, so that steps can be taken to prevent its recurrence. Unless this is done, the public may suffer from a continuance 'of this official neglect as long as the war lasts. ' ' "'.■ .■ : ■■■ \ '':