WAR GRATUITIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17267, 17 September 1919, Page 8

WAR GRATUITIES.

: Tho confusion of opinions whict has arisen in regard to the gratuitj to be given to members of the Expeditionary ■ ditionary Forces has its origin in the insuperable difficulty of assess ing the Dominion's gratitude to . those who sacrificed all personal interests in its defence. Whatever the amount of the gratuity, it will not discharge the State's whole obligation to its citizen-soldiers* but will be simply " a free gift in recognition of honourable service in the - war," as Parliament described it. . j That recognition cannot find expres- , sion in terms of mathematical accu- , | racy. It must be based upon the fact that every soldier, whatever his rank in the field, was a citizen : ready to give his life in his country's defence. Viewed in this light, the service of the private soldier is no less - deserving of recognition than that of the general. Distinctions of rank are not a measure of the country's appreciation, and should not be accepted as a "just and proper " basis for the payment of gratuities. But while the people of "New Zealand do not weigh their gratitude by the scale of army ranks, they do acknowledge a greater obligation and give higher honour to the soldiers who were most eager to respond to the call of duty, and there is an equal discrimina/cion of esteem in favour of those who served for long periods. These feelings may be translated in a scale of gratuities which makes no distinction between officers and men, but makes a proportioned allowance for early enlistment and long service. This may be achieved by fixing a rate of gratuity for each month of service during the first year of war, and successively lower rates for the later war-years. The adoption of this principle would not only provide a higher gratuity for the - soldier who sailed with the Main Body, but would also ensure a measure of recognition for the greater sacrifice that was involved by continuous service for several years. It seems impossible to devise a scheme of gratuities that would be satisfactory in every respect; the method here suggested is probably the nearest approximation to an adequate recognition of the country's debt to its soldiers. j