DISTRIBUTION OF PATRIOTIC FUNDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3293, 25 April 1917, Page 7

DISTRIBUTION OF PATRIOTIC FUNDS.

COMPLAINT AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT. The executive of t nc Ot'ago Patriotic Association discussed at somo length on the 16th the methods of the Government in dealing with tho welfare of soldiers and their dependents. Tho executive evidently desired to remedy tho existing condition of things, and the whole debate arose when the report by tho Financo and Soldiers' Welfare Committees camo up for consideration.

Mr Solomon, who traversed the whole position, said that one of the most important matters dealt with in the report was the question of separation allowances. It had been carefully considered by tho committee, and he believed that the recommendations only required to be placed before tho association to gain their support. He pointed out that recently representations had been made to the Government that an allowance should bo made to the mother of a soldier. That had been agreed to by the Government, and the committee now suggested that similar allowances should bo made to fathers also whose circumstances warranted it. Then the committee recommended that the allowances to soldiers wero not as large as they ought to be. _ These had stood practically still since tho initiation of the wai% while the general circumstances of living had changed. It was unreasonable and inequitable that, while "the cost of living had gone up the amount paid to ' tho soldier should remain stationary. He was certain that the view of the committeo in that respect would receive the support of the. associations The committee had also considered the' matter of medical examination of recruits. This had. been before the committee for a long time, and there was no doubt that for a considerable period the examination was most ineffective and sketchy, leading to results of an extraordinary character. That the association had not been wrong in its impression of those examinations was proved by the fact that the Government had taken the matter up, and had stiffened the examinations. The committee had deemed it its duty to urge the tightening of medical examinations, for the results were proving a very serious matter to tho Patriotic Association. It therefore sincerely trusted that the medical examination of recruits now would be very careful and exact. There arose out of that another matter which seemed to him to represent a most improper thing. This was tho fact that men were taken forcibly for active service, wero passed as medically fit, sent to camp, and there rejected by the medical authorities. Often this result caused serious hardship to the individual and cast an aditional strain upon the funds of tho different associations. It was quite possible that after a man had been a little time at Trentham the training would develop a latent weakness, necessitating his discharge from the forces.' In such cases no consideration whatever was given by the Government. Tho man was <-ent back, and no provision was mado for him. The committee thought that that was a most improper state of affairs. The man was taken compulsorily to the training camp, and very often had to lose his situation and even his means of livelihood when rejected at the second -examination, and the Government provided nothing for his support. The committee thought that should be stopped if it were within its power tcTstop it. The funds at the association's disposal were to supplement what was given by the Government. It was not part of the association's duty to do what the Government should _ do. It appeared that if a man were rejected a"t the camp ho was not a person entitled to assistance- from the Government. He became nobody's case, and he might be stranded. That was the attitude of tho Government, although, in fact, it was not the attitude of tho committee. So the committee said that when a man was a soldier he should be treated as a soldier, and that the Government should do what tho committee did, although it was not a part of tho committee's duty to do it. And there was this effect to be considered: the funds that wero spent in such cases deprived the members of tho Expeditionary Force of their proper share of the patriotic funds. Another matter of almost equal importance concerned the _ funds for providing comforts for our soldiers overseas. Early in the war the association and other patriotic bodies wore asked to provide funds for that purpose, which was tout forward as a matter of urgency. It was agreed ultimately to subscribe £3OOO a month, and altogether some £15.000 was subscribed. Of lhat sum a largo proportion was sent to England in order to provide urgently-needed comforts. Yet this was the position: The sum of £SOOO had never gone out of the dominion at all. Why it had not gone they were absolutely unable to find out. The matter had been placed in tho hands of the Advisory Board, and had been inquired into for' months, and the committeo had been told that the Advisory Board could not get any satisfaction from the Government as to why tho money had not been sent away. And they could not get the money back. That £6OOO ought to be available for these soldiers, but they could not get it. What tho committee said was this: that the association and other patriotic societies should take steps to put an end to that sort of_ thing, and get the money. They said nothing at all about the moneys still in England. There was another matter calling for attention—the question of land for returned very serious matter indeed, and one that would have to gain consideration somo time or other. It was giving the Soldiers' Welfare Committee a great deal of_ difficulty. Personally, he held strong opinions aboiit it. Land was being offered preferentially to returned whether they knew anything about farming or not. _ If a man took up land without the requisite knowledge as to what he was getting and what had to be done, it was inevitable that he was going to make a mess of things. Instead of doing him a good turn in such a case the Governement was doing him an ill turn. Ho suggested that the proper way to deal with this matter was not to put a man on tho land until they wore satisfied that his circumstances and knowledge wore sufficient to gain him reasonable success. Ho moved the adoption of the report. Tho Hon. J. T. Paid seconded the motion, and raised the question of financial assistance to embarrassed soldiers. Some months ago the Government had decided ti 3 n matter of policy that financial assistance should bo given to soldiers called up by ballot who were financially embarrassed.

this provision to apply to volunteers also. That decision had been heralded in the newspapers 'with a great flourish of trumpets, and it had been enrphasised that, in all, a soldier could get something like up to £4 a week. It was amazing to find out that no such assistance had: yet been given. It seemed to him that the Government had an idea that before any man could assist in administration ho must wear a uniform. There were ample mean 3in each ecntro to carry out tho administration of tho new system, even if tho Government had merely acted on British experience, and had sot up less elaborate machinery. The position now was that if a man in any part of the dominion required financial assistance such as was to bo provided, tho application had to go to Wellington to be adjudicated upon by the Central Board. Such a matter could easily be attended to by some committee in a centre, which would Ot able moro expeditiously to deal with it. Tho Rev. Graham Baifour cited a case of hardship. Mr J. Begg said there were throe iiodies that might decide the question of assistance : The Mditary Service Board, tho Soldiers' Welfare Committee, and tho Efficiency Board. Tho committee could do the work. He considered that, as regards pay and allowances, they should specify the cases in which increases should be given. In some cases tho allowance was inadequate. The Mayor said there were a few isolated cases where the allowance was adequate, and there were a few cases where no allowance was required at all; but these were so insignificant that they did not count. In the great majority of cases it was absolutely impossible for dependents to exist on tho allowances given by the Government. If it were not for tho assistance given by the Patriotic Association there would be greater distress in this city and right throughout the dominion. The associations had shouldered the responsibilities of the Government. It could not be too strongly emphasised that the allowiursca were inadequate. It was disgraceful the way the Government had used tho funds of tho associations contributed for the supply of comforts for our soldiers overseas. Dean Fitchett, with an evident desire to do something practical, asked what the executive was going to recommend l . What one wanted to know was how were they going to get at tho Government. Who was the Minister in charge? Ho would like to see the association do something effective. They seemed so helpless in the matter. A force of public opinion was wanted which would absolutely take the Government by the neck.—("Hear, hear.") Mr Paul said the nosition was a difficult one, and mentioned that up to a point the patriotic contributions and tho Government's money for the supply of comforts had been lumped together, and that for a long time the Government could not tell the other from which. They Lad now come to the conclusion that £6OOO belonged to the association, and the instruction of the Advisory Board had been absolutely ignored by the Government. It seemed to h m that it had been a case of muddle from beginning to end. Altogether it was a scandalous business. A number of suggestions were thrown out as to the best course to pursue, one being to communicate direct with Sir James Allen., on the subject, and another that a public meeting -should bo held by way of protest. ' Finally the.,, clause in the report dealing with soldiers' pay and allo.y:uices was amended to read:' "The experience of the Relief Committee has convinced them that the present allotment of 4s a day from the soldiers' pay as insisted upon by the • Patriotic Association does not leave the soldier a sufficient sum for himself, vet this allotment is necessitated bv tho inadequate allowances—i.e., separation and children allowances—at present made to the soldiers' dependents."—The report in its amended form was adopted.