AFTER THE WAR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16994, 3 May 1917, Page 8

AFTER THE WAR.

THE RETURNED SOLDIER. IS THE VISTA BRIGHT OR GLOOMY ? A STATEMENT BY HON.' C,' W. I RUSSELL

Private Douglas Seymour (secretary to tho Returned Soldiers' Association) again expressed at tho Anzac dinner at Wellington on Saturday his fear that after tho ■wto.r iw<"us over u,n " aii;t.i-soldicr partly" would <grow up; and lie urged thai, it must bo the duty of the Returned .Soldiers' Association so to mould and inllueiico public opinion thai, that should not, tako form. He contended that the Government should make better provision—full provision—for the returned soldiers. Tho Government," ho said, "allows us a pension, and says: 'If you want more, go to the Patriotic Society.' It is fortunate that the.ro is such a society for us to go to. for in some cases returned soldiers do not get enough from the Government to satisfy their legitimate needs. Wo aro very grateful indeed 1 to tho Patriotic Society for all it is doing for us, but the point I wish to make is this: If you do some work for a man. and he pays you your wages—pays you eo much, and si-ys: 'If you want any more, go to my friend down tho street,' you would say: 'We don't know your friend down the street.' And we say that in tho long run the responsibility with regard 1 to the returned soldiers rests, with the Government of this country."—(Applause.) Mr Seymour' ad'ded that they were" happy to acknowledge all tho Patriotic Societies had dono for them. Their work had been a most valuable supplement; but lie wanted to point out that tho funds available for the Patriotic Societies could not bo sufficient to give them and their dependents a fair deal through tho,years to come. He urged that the.y ehould so administer the funds now available as to set the standard of what they considered a square deal for tho soldiers and their dependents, and that the whole of the funds of tho country should bo tho security that that standard would bo trade good throughout.—(Applause.) They were thinking not so much of the present but of the future.—(Applause.) They acknowledged the goodwill and the kindness of the people of New Zealand l to the returned soldiers, but if history taught ?.nything it taught that patriotic sympathy and feeling wore liable to evaporate at the close of the war. —(Applause.) • Later, in proposing the toast, of "Tho Chairman," tho Hon. G. W. Russell took tho opportunity of replying to these remarks. "I want ; to say," he remarked, " speaking with a sense of responsibility, •and I am sure that my colleague (Mr Myers) will support me, that, so far as the Government is concerned, there will never be any lack of recognition by the people of New Zealand of the fine work done, not only at Anzac, but 'by the whole of the soldiers who havo gone away and fought for us. If there ever should cojne a time when there is a_ Government in "power not prepared to do its duty and show the full appreciation of the people of New Zealand for the work done, I hope that the soldiers and their friends and relations will combine to sweep that Government from office- and replace it by a Government which will do its duty to tho men v —(Applause.) The feeling of the Government at the present time is to do everything that is possible in every way to assist the men; and more than that I need not say on the present occasion. As for the patriotism of the people and their recognition of tho work that has been done, all I can say is: Your Parliament is the expression of the patriotism of the people, and the Government is the expression of the and it will be for tho people to deal_ with any Government that does not do its duty so? far as the men aro concerned."—(Applause.) Mr- Russell also spoke of the good wofk d°no. by absent soldiers, members of the Patriotic Society, who had rendered great service to tho soldiers before they themselves had left for the front; and ho made reference in this connection to' the splendid work of Captain Frandi, who had laid down his life for his country.—(Loud applause.)