REPORTS ON THE WOUNDED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15964, 8 July 1915, Page 6

REPORTS ON THE WOUNDED.

The Ministerial reply to a question put in the House of Representatives by Mr. J. A. Young regarding reports on the condition of wounded New Zealand soldiers cannot be accepted as an answer to the complaints that have become general throughout the community. It is well known that all the information in the possession of the Defence Department is available to the press. It is equally well known that relatives have the opportunity of sending three free cablegrams. But the Defence Department's reports are frequently conflicting, and relatives have often been unable to get any satisfactory reply to cablegrams whether sent free or at their own expense. The advantages of the system of free cablegrams cannot be expected to be obvious to the parent who is curtly informed that the whereabouts of his son and the nature of his wounds arc outside the scope of our inquiry.'' What the public generally desire is that some organisation should be established with authority to make such inquiries and supply information wherever possible. A New Zealand bureau in Egypt, capably organised and in touch with the various hospitals, has been suggested, but Mr. Allen refuses to entertain the idea, holding that it would only lead to complications. Were the military information generally reliable and free from complication this answer might be regarded as sufficient, but a.6 matters stand the Minister must accept the responsibility of initiating a better method. The reasonable requests of parents are certainly not met by a stereotyped answer embodying nothing that was not well known to the member of Parliament who put the question and to those on whose behalf he asked it.