PARLIAMENTARY TOUR

Otago Witness, Issue 3270, 15 November 1916, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY TOUR

INTERVIEW WITH MR LEE

(From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, November 6. The New Zealand parliamentary delegates who went Home recently passed tiirough Wellington to-day. Mr Leo has a host of interesting things to tell. “What can I say f’’ was his first remark when approached by an interviewer. “It is all so colossal. \Vo have practically seen the whole war from our Side. Wc saw the whole British front in France, we saw scores of munition factories in England, wo saw the training of soldiers in the making, wo saw the Grand Fleet, and wc saw the yards where more ships arc being built. Wo had the financial position explained to us. Our time was fully occupied every day. Wo attended functions ot all sorts, many of them luncheons and dinners and that sort of thing arranged for us in order to give us a good opportunity of exchanging ideas, giving one another information about our ideas, countries, and so on. Every one of us answered strings of questions, and gave expression to, our opinions on a number of subjects. Wo heard addresses from the greatest moil in tho Empire. “The war is simply a colossal business. I can’t think how on earth it is organised and carried on —how they make the munitions and provide for the food and all tho other supplies for those vast armies. One can’t imagine it all, and can’t describe it, and yet we find fault with and criticise little things. Wo saw every detail of tho organisation behind tho lines, even to tho arrangements made for giving baths to tho men from the trenches. Wo saw tho wounded being despatched from tho front, and we saw thorn being received in Lon-

j don, and, generally, you can sea and hcatf that the organisation is wonderful. iScarceh/ ! ever will you hear a complaint. Of course, ! you will find cases which are proper sub- | jects for complaint—cases in which it would I appear there had been manifested the utter* j most limit of incompetence,—but these caser j are very, very rare, and you can neve* expect to be quite free from them where such great numbers of men aro employed, i "I notice that Mr Masscy and Sir Joseph j Ward have been saying something about i tho end of the war, and they have had exactly the sumo experience that wo had. Wo saw British generals and French generals, and nowhere did wo meet a maa , who expected a speedy end to tho war. You; can't get anyone there to talk about the end of the war. They all know now that we are going to win, though some of them admit that there was a timo when they did not know. They do not think wo aro going" to win quickly. They all believe that the Germans have tho power, if they are steadfast and willing to use that power to the uttermost, to hold us up for years and years. They admit that there may be a break in German courage before German power is exhausted, and that there may bo something dramatic, such as a big break through in tho East by tho Russians, but they do not expect these things to happen just yet. You don't need to be a general to be able to form your own opinions oa the subject after having soon the front. One of the places we visited was a brewery, or, rather, it had onco been a brewery. Now it is a place where ftoldicra aro given, baths when they come back from tho trenches to rest. They aro then undescribably dirty, very often covered with vermin,; and baths arc a necessity for their health. Tho men take off every stitch of clothing and hand it over to be cleaned. Then they go into vats of hot water, and when thoy como out they get a complete clean change. In the buildings there aro hundreds of women working, and their job is to clean the clothes of every batch of men that comes. These clothes aro steamed and dried, and they aro rcad3' for tho next batch when they come along, but if the front should happen to move forward a littlo it will all have to be moved forward; so with all tho organisation at the front. Approaching tho front you have to walk through about a mile and a-half of trenches. through which everything has to bo carried right up to tho firing lino, and behind these lines of communication trenches there aro the depots, so you s-co what a formidable business it is to fight tho Germans back and move up all the organisation right along tho lino. All we can hope for is that tho Germans will give it up before they aro exhausted. If they do not we are in for p long struggle. '" Everywhej •■ I went, and it Franco,"! hoard ordial appreciation c the dominior.. who have sent their troop to fight in Fiance. It ..as .".I 1 very goo« for us to hear, but what was impri ■"-- very strongly on !; r ; wis i xat tho grca, burden of liio ir is being L-orna not b; the dominions but by rne people of Grreai Britain. I went onct into a hairdresser*' establishment —an old-established business li a town I know at Home. I saw the pre* prietor, and he told me he was giving up. He was a man with a wife and some children, and I asked him _ what would becomt of his business. Ho said, ' Oh, tho business. will have to be cleared up; my wife can'\ carry it on.' And that man will get his shilling a day and his wife £1 a week. This sort of thing is going on everywhere and every month it is getting worse. Th< big men "aro giving up half their incomes, and they have to reduce their expenses. Lord (mentioning tho name of a nobleman well known in New Zealand) told mo that he has shut up his big establishments as he could not carry them on. Now he lives in a small way with a few servants, and comes to tho city in a cab. "We saw tho Now Zealand, and ' had afternoon tea on board. These navy men don't talk much, but I gathered that tho New Zealand did remarkably good and effective work in the battle of Jutland. She was hit, but her guns were never put out of action, and were used on tho enemy to good effect."

In conversation with a Southland Times reporter, a member of the 2Lst Reinforcements queried : "Like to sec the sort of stuff they keep in the cantcci? up (it Feathcrston ?" TV- pressman acquirs/rd. whereupon the soldier handed him i. pair of scissors. Slumped clear and deep into tho Btccl was the inscription: "11. Bokcr and Co.. Germany." "I bought those," said tho khaki-chtd one, "not in just an ordinary camp shop, but in the canteen."