The New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1916. THE GOVERNMENT'S DUTY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLI, Issue 9247, 14 January 1916, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1916. THE GOVERNMENT'S DUTY

Some things -which it was very necessary should be said were not only said but well said, at the meeting of the executive committee of the Wellington War Relief Association on Tuesday. In the first place, the executive took the very proper course of countering the refusal of the Secretary to the Post Office to grant the War Relief Association a telephone at half-rates, as the association did not come within the definition of a charitable institution, by resolving to apply to the Postmaster-General for a telephone free of charge. The Secretary to thu Post Office is bound by the regulations, and he no donbt took the right course, from the point of view of the regulations, in declining to allow the association the use of the telephone at half-rate*. The War Relief' Association is not a charitable institution, and, therefore, may not be entitled to. a half-rate telepnune. But tho War Relief Association is a public institution, engaged in a most important public work, war work; and, therefore, in this time ot war, it has. a very good claim —in our opinioji, at least, an unanswerable claim—to a telephone free of charge. In the second place, the committee did well to support the action of tho Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister for Internal Affairs, in convening a national conference of War Relief Association*, and to allow /the question of how best to deal with the difficulty of overlapping to stand over until it shall have been discussed by the national conference. Such a conference is, indeed, very desirable, very necessary; if only to deal with this question' of overlapping. Of course, the establishment of a National War Relief Association, on the lines favoured from the start by the Wellington Patriotic Society, would /be the best method of meeting the difficulty. Failing that solution, however, some other, though not so effective, means of ©oping with it may be devised by the national conference. But, iii any case, much as one may sympathise with Mr Ferguson's objection to the circulation of lists showing the amounts received by each applicant, it is difficult to see how else overlapping can be kept in check. It would seem that if the lists are treated as strictly confidential no great exception can be taken to the system; and v that some such system is very necessary is clearly shown by the case cited by Mr Hill, iu which one man is saidto have drawn upon no less than live societies.

What it was. very necessary should be said, and what, having to be said, was well said, came out in the course of the discussion on the duty of the Government and the work of the War Relief Association in regard to the war. The occasion of. the , discussion was the reading of the letter from'the Hon. G. W. Russell, as Minister for Public Health, to the Mayor of Wellington, requesting that the association should assist in providing funds for the equipment of the Rotorua Convalescent Htome for sick and wounded soldiers. The comment of the chairman of the War Relief Association on this letter was plump and plain, and to the point. Mr Ferguson said, and not before it was time that it should be said, that he thought it was just as much the duty of - the Government to provide the equipment for the Convalescent Home'as to provide the home itself. The Government, he felt, were getting too much into the habit of providing the bare minimum required by the Imperial Army Regulations. They provided only the bare minimum ot equipment for soldiers and for officers, leaving the provision even of such very necessary articles as field-glasses .and compasses to the general public—or to the officers themselves; and now, they i were carrying out the same principle in connection with sanatoria, etq., just providing the minimum, and asking the general public to find'the necessary equipment. We are glad to note that Mr Ferguson's views met with. the general support of ..the executive. With the Mayor of Wellington, we cannot see that the Government have any claims on the war funds to subsidise , the sanatorium: As the Mayor pointed out, the Government has already done very well out of the public in regard~to the equipment of hospitals and hospital ships. The opinion, generally expressed by the executive, that the War Relief Association should confine itself as much as possible to the direct relief of the soldiers and their dependents, is also, we are convinced, the opinion of the general public: and the executive rightly decided that, having carefully considered the Minister's letter, they were unable to accede to his request. The Government, as we have had occasion to point out repeatedly during the course of the war, have

throughout manifested a tendency to dip into the patriots funds in order to meet expenditures that ought, in justice to all concerned, to be met. out of the consolidated revenue. The public of New Zealand desire, most emphatically desire, that those who fi'.-H for their country shall be treated not only with justice, but with generosity;, and, as we have more than once stated, it is the duty of the Government to see that the men are justly dealt with. That done, the genoral public can very safely be left to see to* it that they are also- generously dealt with. Justice, the necessary foundation for generosity, is a duty, owed by the State to our soldiers; and the Government owe it, not only to the* soldiers, but also to each and every citizen, to see to it U) that justice is done, and done as a matter of right and not of chance nor charity, and (2) that each and every citizen bears his just share of the burden of the duty that devolves upon all. Ibis last can only be secured by providing the necessaty ways and means out of the consolidated revenue, and by raising that revenue in an equitable manner, not unduly increasing indirect taxation and using the railways and the post office as engines of taxation, while letting the big land monopolists go practically scot free. It is clearly the duty of the Government to see to it that those who light for their country, both officers and men, are provided with all necessary equipment. When it is remembered that the possession of fieldglasses by an officer means the saving of lives, while the possession of n compass may also mean the saving of a battle, it is very difficult to understand the Government's leaving the provision of such very necessary equipment to the officers themselves or to the generosity of the public. It is clearly the duty of the Government to see to it thatj not only hosp.tals, hospital ships, and sanitoria, but also \the neff; r<ivy equipment for the same are provided. ' It is the cloar duty or the Government to see to' it tbat our soldiers are adequately paid, and that adequate provision is made for the wounded and disabled, and for their dependents and for the, dependents of those who fall in battle." It is also the duty of "the Government to see that land monopoly is not allowed to deny to returned soldiers opportunity for selt-employment and for obtaining a real share in the land they have fought for; /and to make provision, besides, for the instruction of blind and disabled soldiers in various handicrafts, and in fruit-growing, Poul-try-fanning, etc. Tf the Government will only do. their duty in regard to these questions—ana iv» trust that when Parliament meets those members who represent' the people rather than property interests will make a determined effort to compel the Government to do their duty in these matters —the War Jttelief Associations will be able to attend strictly to the very important work, that devolves upon them, a work that will; require all their funds and all their energies, undistracted by unfounded Government claims,' and by appeals to pay insurance premiums and to provide instruction for blind and disabled sol? d.iersj and so forth.; We do, say that the Government should, pay insurance premiums. That would., perhaps, be too .large an order, but the v Government should at ' least make really adequate provision for the dependents of those who die for; their country; and should also sweep away the offensive Bumbledom by Act of Parliament, which, reduces a widow's pension if her husband has been wellftnsuredi. The National Government will be judged upon their record in regard to these important issues arising out of the war. If they would escape the fateful verdict "weighed in the balance and found wanting," they must be up and doing.