RETURNED SOLDIERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17974, 29 June 1920, Page 2

RETURNED SOLDIERS

BUlffiDrN 1 CLUB. AHNTJAL KEKTLNG, ThjO first animal moating of tho notuzned Soldiers' Club was held in tho licAurncd. Boldiers' Association toomn lust night, when about 40 members attended. Mr J. H. Mote was voted to the cli»air. Tho report of the oommitteo road oe follows:—" In aubmittin-g the first annual report in conooctiou with tho above, your committee, whiah wa3 constituted by tho eloction of three mombers each from the lato Anzac Ciub Committee, tho Bioturnod Soldiors' Building Conxmnttoe, ai;d tho He turned So i driers' Asaociatioa, has been carrying tho c'nb on, and tho club ho 6 been well patronised by returned men. Your committee regrets, however, that ROTO of the rotumod men have not so far joined tho club, and it will bo nearer sary to considerably incioas© tho membership to give the commUteo eufficient funds to meet tho current expenses. Tlks new club is now being erected and - should bo completed at the end of the present yc*ir, and members should then have a club that they can bo proudl of; go it is hoped, when the time arrives for tho official opening that tho membership of the club will be considerba 1 y increased. Your committee was fortunate in being ablo to eecuro the present premises, tho former Arcadia Rooms, for carrying on tho club. An extra billiard table has been secured, and it is proposed t-o secure another table for tho new building. Mr C. W. Fisher, who actod as manager of tho Anzac Chib, has continued to act as manager since tho present committer took ovor the control of tho club, and has carried out his duties to tho satisfaction of one and oil. In retiring from office, your committeo thanks members for their kind support in the past, and trusts that th© now club will prove a great success and a benefit to our returned men." In moving tho adoption of the report #and balance shoet, Mr Moir said that h© hoped! that more returned men wouM join tho club when the new building was completed. Tho committee had been hard put to it to keep th°. club going, and it was now at the end of its resourocs. He asked those present to ao all m their power to soe that every Returned Soldiers' Association member became a member of the club.—The report was adopted.

Some items in tho statement of accounts provoked some query, and after discussion Mr ii. P. Jones moved, and Mr C. R. Murray seconded, and it was carried, that tho statement of receipts and expenditure be referred TV? 0 new . Colnm i fct « e for consideration. Th® election of office-bearers resulted as follows: President, Dr T. Harrison j vico-pre-sidents, Messrs J. H. Moir and E. P. Jones; committee—Messrs T. M. Drain, C. R. Murray W. H. Wood, G. Henderson, and W. "Wilson. Mr A. A. Finch, one of the retiring committee of the Anzac Club, said that the club was founded originally for the benefit of men on leave from camp, and of thoao who had returned from the front. That club bad served its purpose, nnd in carrying it on they had been helped tremendously by tho ladies of Dunedin. When tho men began I? re J u , rn numbers the conduct of the club was handed over to a committee to one year, or until the first annual meeting, ilo reminded members that it behoved them to give tho new committee every assistance, as there was no doubt that the magnificent now club-house would bo of great us© to them. Concerning the balance B heet, the speaker said that the club would start with a small credit balance.

L. J. Joel wished the club every success, and said that he would willingly assist it m any way possible. On the motion of Mr J. H. M'Nish. a hearty vote of thanks to the original club committee and to tlie returning club-house wna carried by acclamation rk C - R f yrK>l<3s thanks on be?ta oSJ ■ C ? gom » committee, and said that its good wishes would go with them. RETURNED SOLDIERS' ASSOCIATION. The monthly meeting of tho Returned Soldiers Association was held! immediately after•wards, Dr T Harrison occupying the chair lhe report of the executive for the period from April 19 was read and adopted. The sti " ed - a-Ka, that during the Pf" . review the membership of the association lad been increased by 161 new members and four nurses. It was regretted that three members (H. H. Hollis E T Gibson and S. Paine) had died. As a result rl4f P f J rom tho association the City £ lir 03 • 36su - ed free tramway passes for soldiers incapacitated as regards their "fthe klw B - had Wn wwlwl f Ti! Zealand Association that veterans of other wars should be admitted to membership, but this oould not be effected nn+ii +v.j> stilStS? aJterat i°ns were made in the conImmediately upon receipt of advioe of tlie DS P S or Tct at r age J Act : the executive had forwarded n. strong protest to the Minister of Land« A protest was made against the "Tan tins? of ?® a ® : 'nations of local reeidente tions on estates thrown odpti fr,y ~ settlements until such tube as the wiStf of the re turned men had been fully executive had made full ariLgoments wolco . m « to General Sir William Birdwood upon his arrival in this citv but owing to the general arriving by an earlier doned to be of tb« 01 memheiß at the tf ? e foundation stone of the new club, and also at the extraordinary general meeting at which the general was admitted to membership, vas disappointing. It was anticipated that the new clubhouse would be completed by Christmas next, when in sobers of Dunedin would be <»"»«' ""« 5 In April last the Social Committp« rrm fenced the first of a series of Zees inT^ S S , ettkr l Hal1 ' and these Steady selves tolhe fuU? attendm S them?f cuti yf. WM . inquiring into tho mater of the putting in order of the grave? of ftU? Hvrned ™* l ? the Anderson's Bay 'Z! C %L- and f ° r t heir f«tme upkeep. 7 The Chairman reviewed the work done at the recent conference m Wellington and f? v< l," n of _ ; the new constttution, and wH , c j , topics affecting returned men which had been discussed, especially in re,?„t. , Provisions of the D.S.S Act . rrvu' n P° n the question of pensions The position of men who were biding down m health as a result of war seT- "^ r tb<Slr i . di3csj s r ° G > required adjustment. The question of a white New Zealand was also one that required the attention of tho association. , M T !'^ S ™ Uh (secretary) bespoke the support of membei-s for tho magazme Quick March the soldieps paper, and every effort should ™ * I? ev€l 7 member a subscriber, if ?m ollowing resolution . was moved bv r seconded by Mr Mlfish, and earned:— That this meeting of returned soldiers, having taken into consideration the s» atements of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Lands regarding the finance of the dominion and the possible effect of the contmuanco of the present scheme of advances under tho D.S.S. Act, in further in creasing the price of land, still considers that the only equitable and honourable course open to Parliament is (a) to make the benefits of the D.S.S. Act available to all soldiers at present entitled to these benefits tIT if 3 f° ld Manj' soldiers Who have but recently returned to New Zea--1 or have lately been released from hos-

pital, or havo lately completed their period of training under the Repatriation Department; and (b) to provide that any loss incurred m so doing shall bo borne by the country as a whole."

A member said thai tho general impression conveyed by tho reception of a deputation of fruitercra to the association at its . executive m*etin£ w*ia that they were Soldiers' Association to pam their own ends.—The Chairman denied Un«, and Baid that the association was only ion so far as it affected tho Asiatic problem as a wholo. DI&CHASG-EX) SOI/DTKRS' SETTLEment ACT. DISAPPROVAL OF "REFORM G-OYERN-MENT. UNTTKn PRKSP ARSOCIATION.) CHraSTCETURCH, Jimo 28 At a- mo©W of the ChristOhnrch branch tT SoMiors' AB3ofollowing motion was carried: — I hat this meeting of returned soldiers and ir dependents expresses its etjong dian.pproval of the Reform Government in withdrawing, without due notice, tbe advances mad© in part 2 of tbe Discharged Soldiers' betilemont Act. It considers that the only equitable and honourable course open to Parliament is to make the bene fits of the Act availaile to nil eoldiera at present oniVj • and so avoid penalising those soldiers who httvo liad no opportunity of taking advantage of its provisions. It desires to point out that many soldiers have deioTred making application, relying on tho definite of the Prime Minister that 12 months' notice would be given of anv curtailment of tho Act. It further calls upon the Government to bear any loss incurred by those who entereu into contracts and signed options prior to tho announcement of the stoppage by tho Hon. I>. H. Guthrie. Minister of Lands."

( following motion was aleo carried: — That the Government again bo urged to give serious consideration to the land settlement scheme submitted by' the Returned Soldiers Association, and so give evidence of its sincerity to settle all returned soldiers m the shortest possible time."