THE PLATFORM AND OTHER QUESTIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11691, 26 March 1900, Page 9

THE PLATFORM AND OTHER QUESTIONS.

. , TO THE EDITOR. "■■Sin,—As one.of the unfortunate ." rejects " irom the fourth contingent, I have taken a keen interest in all that lias been done relating to_ the departure of " our boys." I know : now. things have been managed elsewhere. It is notorious that in Wellington, for instance, • witu untempered military management, the troopers at the departure were shipped in a condition of extreme exhaustion; some of them actually fainting on the wharf. Considering that they were kept from early breakfast until late in the afternoon working and fasting, it could not truthfully be said that a Bingle " full private " was shipped to lace the modified discomforts of mal de mer.; i have myself seen a strong man in the fourth contingent broken clown with emotion at the recollection of the fact that when leaving homo m the north be was deprived of tha privilege of saying good-bye to his parents. How differently things have been arranged here! Some of our best and ablest business and professional men have given not hours but days and weeks of unremitting attention to-matters connected with the dispatch of our men. bmce others are of a different opinion from my own very firm conviction that they are doing right, right through, including the expenditure on the stands, which will make the send-off more successful than it could otherwise bo, I must admit that this.is a,- matter open for debate were the time for its discussion convenient, which it certainly is not. In my opinion, more graceful acts to a liberal community,, and more humane ones towards friends and relatives could not have been determined upon than are to be found provided far in the arangements made by the committee in connection with Otago's send-off for" "our boys."' With1 a deep Bense of gratitude to the committee, —I am, etc., ■~.•■ N.Z. Bkitish Boen. March 22.1 ■ ■ ...