SOLDIERS' RECORDS

Otago Witness, Issue 3234, 8 March 1916, Page 29

SOLDIERS' RECORDS

AT THE HEAD OFFICE,

Br L. S. Fanning*

During a nevsna jear an ordinary civilian fa much tabulated. If he does not cut a great figure, he has at least the comfort that he is part of many columns, entered Under many headings, by way of age, sex, conjugal condition, religion, industry, insanity, and so on. Then politicians ask for special returns in Parliament, and an occasional Royal Commission may add variety to the statistics, but all these entries and classifications are as nothing to the facts and figures that may grow about a Boldier. One may regard him as an eminently suitable moving garden, where figures flourish on a rich statistical soil. The harvesting is continuous; as fast as one crop has been gathered, another ie ready. This cultivation is painless; the garden may not be conscious of much of it. It ie not fi. "foroing" process; the figures multiply naturally—necessarily. The plain truth is that an exact record must be kept of the Soldier's life, in health and sickness, in camp and at the front. Wherever ho goes figures of merit or demerit grow upon him, and they pass on, eventually to Base Records, Wellington. Ono can imagine this as a linked up by invisible aerial routes with all camps, overseas bases, and hospitals, and through the airways come the ceaseless training of information. WORK INCREASING RAPIDLY.

There are four sub-offices (Trent-ham, Featherstou, Awupuni, and the Maori Camp), which ara under the camp commandants. As far as practicable, the start's pf the camp officers are recruited by returned soldiers, or enlisters who are barred from the front by physical defects. _ The Same principle applies to the head office. While a soldier is in training his figures are harvested, thrashed, and stored at the Camp Records Office. When he embarks. Copies of the principal papers concerning him go to the Wellington office, where his special file may fatten remarkably in time. The writer saw one consisting of 70 or 80 documents, weighing l^lb. The resting of New Zealand's troops in Egypt has lightened the work of the Casualties Department, but the business of ■ the office as a whole grows continuously with the large additions to tho enlistments. Not long ago the total of letters and telegrams (inward and outward) on an average day was something over 900. A tally taken two or three days ago showed the following huge outward figures:—Letters, 630; telegrams, 200. The inward correspondence was not counted that day, but it would be similarly large. The ever-expanding scope of the Records needs many hands. The paid staff is now about 80, and the honorary volunteers (young ladie3 with a zeal for service to tho State) are about 20 per shift at present.

STATE FULL NAMES AND NUMBERS. Relatives and friends of soldiers should know well by now that thoy can make three inquiries by cable free, through die Post Office. If the replies do not give definite news, the Detence Department, through Base Records, will be pleased io help. The office will make thorough inquiry in a reasonable case, but applications •which are deemed to be frivolous or fut.le are dismissed. It is important to state a soldier's full name and number. There are men enrolled who have the same surname and initials; much time and energy are lost by some persons' failure to give full particulars promptly. The writer happened to witness one of the many examples of*that kind of carelessness or thoughtlessness. A woman wrote for news of her husband, but she did not even mention his name. She left the authorities to deduce that the man had the same name as herself, and she evidently believed that this •was sufficient.

The office will be glad to co-operate with patriotic societies which may desire nformation about applicants for aid. Wellington has a concise comprehensive " history sheet " covering every returned soldier. Any man in khaki who says that he has received his discharge for medical unfitness ehould be able to show a certificate.

The head office is linked up with the Hon. A. L. Herdman's Bureau (established for the help of returned soldier 6 who need Information about civil employment) and with the War Pensions Office. THE HELPFUL VOLUNTEERS.

The young ladies who constitute the honorary staff came to the rescue of the Base Records Office some time ago. There Was a sudden rush of work by reason of the Defence Department's decision to make retrospective a lodging allowance of ?.s a day. This is a grant to men on sick leave; it is not paid to men who are in a military or public hospital, but to those who are receiving medical treatment at home >r in Some other private place. Within four days the applications for this money reached two thousand, and this meant a search of two thousand files to enable the department to determine the amount duo in each case. It was a sad situation till the cheerful troup of volunteers arrived. In addition to this valuable help in time of urgent need, these honorary workers are filling in the history-sheets from the soldiers' files; about 25,000 sheets are complete—that is, they are up to date —and this has required a careful examination of 25,C00 files. The volunteers work in three shifts—about twenty in the morning, twenty in \,he afternoon, and thirty to fifty at night (during a busy time). For this the young ladies nave the State's gratitude and roo;n----ing and afternoon tea; they do not desiro payment for their services. ORDER OUT OF CONGESTION.

A few months ago the Base Records Office Buffered from congestion, and complaints by soldiers' relatives and friends were not Bcaroo. The average grumbler was not disposed to make- allowances for difficulties; he did not know —and he did not carethat the war was a tremendous new experience for New Zealand, and that a satisfactory system with tho records was being evolved. The staff was strengthened by tho appointment of Major Norton Francis six months ago, and smoe then progress has been rapid. His colleagues have co-operated heartily with him, and tho result is a smoothly-working plan which cannot fail to Impress* pleasingly any fair-minded investigator. Delegates of patriotic societies recently called to carp, and stayed to praise. The writer entered the building also with the object oi noting the ; >od, the bad, and the indifferent, n id his belief, at tho end of an hour and a-half, v aa that tho offico had a systematic organisation to compare favourably with tho working of any big private fcuwiness, such as d bank of an in-

suranco company or large mercantile house. The work is spread among several department*, intelligently co-ordinated, and the various operations go on without flurry or confusion. ABOUT 36,000 FILES. It is a circulatory system, which ends — after a remarkable round—at the room where it begins. This is the department which receives correspondence relating to soldiers. A clerk sits amid an array of handy shelves, on which ho places, for variious departments, the letters and telegrams which ho 'has classified. Out they go for prompt treatment, and back they will come for attachment to the files. It is a rule in this room that the work on a new document must be complete within 24- hours of the receipt, or an explanation of any delay betime must bo given. This_ is an insurance policy against any overlooking or inadvertent untimely burial of a letter or telegram. This room has the files of about 36.000 men (including discharged soldiers): they are in long lines of shelves, 10ft high,_ in readiness for production quickly. The writer ■was invited to inquire about any soldier whom he knew. He mentioned one who was killed at Gallipoli. soon after the landing. The file came almost as promptly as if it had been resting on a mechanical carrier, released at the press of a button. About three thousand of these files, on an average, are in circulation daily, for various purposes (pensions, allowances, and the like), but no file leaves this room without an elabnrato check on its_ movements. It is "identified" before it goes over the barrier, and it is not lost from view.