SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE

Otago Witness, Issue 3348, 15 May 1918, Page 18

SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE

PUBLIC MEETING IN BURNS HALL. A public meeting called by the executive of the Second Division League was held in the Bums Hall on the Bth. Mr S. B. M'DonaLd (president of the league) was in the chah\ There was a large attendance, and the mooting was enthusiastic throughout. Mr M'Donald said ho was pleased to see so many ladies present, because if the league had done anything at all it lxad done it for the women of New Zealand. He wished, on behalf of the league, emphatically to repudiate the resolution passed at a meeting in Christchurch recently. Those supporting the league had no quarrel with the Government of Groat Britam. The league believed in the cause for which it was fighting-. Their quarrel was not with the Imperial Government, but was with a few Cabinet Ministers in New Zealand. Ho was at a conference held in Wellington, at which 80 delegates from all parts of New Zealand were present. A series of resolutions was carried, and presented to the Prime Minister, who gave utterance to words to this effect: "Gentlemen, I have listened to the speeches of your members with great interest. I may say straight out that you have mv greatest sj-m----pathy. From what your speakers have said, the demands seem reasonable, and you can rest assured that I will do my best for you." A few weeks ago the Prime Minister repudiated that statement. Mr Massey; before ho went into politics, was, he understood, a successful farmer, and all he. had to say was that it was a pity he did not remain a farmer.—(Laughter. Our leading Cabinet Ministers told us that before the total demands of the Second Division League were acceded to the Government would go out St power. —(A Voice : It is a pity they didn't.) Sir Joseph Ward told the secret caucus which met prior to the sitting of Parliament that if the demands of the league were given effect to ruin would stare the country in tho face, and ho repeated those words in the House. Within a fortnight of making that threat he stated on tho floor of the House that the finances of New Zealand were buoyant, and that they were never better. It was shown that they made a profit of £5,000.000 out of the people of New Zealand, and yet they have refused tho fighting men of New Zealand a fair deal. The Second Division league demanded justice for tho mothers and fathers of soldiers. The league had compelled tho Government to rQcogniso its dufcieg to dependents to some extent, and

this applied equally to First Division men. But there were still grievances to be redressed. With regard to pensions there were m £?? cascs which had come under his notice which were not just. He instanced a case of a man who fought on Gallipoli and returned minus five fingers; he received a pension of 10s per week. He got a job at a wage of 30s por week, and when this was discovered his case was reviewed and his pension was reduced to 5s per week As tho result of the representations of the league the returned men now had a reasonable pension as a matter of right, this being provided by schedule. The men of the Second Division were accusod of cowardice. They had to remember that there were 120,000 men in the Second Division, and already 60,000 had volunteered. With regard to the future work of tho league, he had only to say that the league had been the means of putting thousands of pounds into the pockets of the fighters of New Zealand, and it was determined to continue to fight in the interests of the fighting men of the dominion.

Mr G. F. Bewley moved—" That this meeting, whilst appreciating the increases allowed by Cabanet, regrets that it cannot accept the same as final, and deplores the fact that the amount for reservists' wives' allowances was not increased, and reiterates the demand for 63 per day for the wives of soldiers (deferred pay to be held b v the Government until soldiers have boen discharged). The meeting considers that the principles on which exemption has been granted should be reconsidered, with a view to making physical fitness the sole test for active service." Mr Bewley said tho first thing to be considered was the further in crease of 3s a day for tho New Zealand fighting men, the money to be held on de ferred payment. The 6s a day might bo enough to keep a soldier's dependent in existence during the soldier's absence, but how about the day when the soldier returned? Wo saw on every hand men who would have to give tip their business. When his (the speaker's) turn came lie would have to sacrifice his business, and if he came back, not in the condition in which ho went away perhaps, what ho would find was that tho money available had been used up to eke out an existence. To provide against that they claimed that this 3s should be held as deferred pay against the time the soldier returned, so that he had some chance to again start in life. No one would say that the country could not afford it. According to the returns of the Board of Trade, no less than £15,000,000 had come into this country last year as war profit over and above the profit in pre-war times. Taking Sir James Allen's own figures, if the Second Division League had got from Parliament its full demands, from September last year to September of this year £1,000,000 would have been required to give the extra 3s a day. If that £15,000,000 was equally divided between every man, woman, and child in New Zealand, was thero one of them who would not say, " Here is my pound"? Speaking on the question of exemption, Mr Bewley said_ that the great bulk of tho exemptions in New Zealand should never have been made. It was so much humbug to say. "This man is needed in this occupation or that," or that the country would become bankrupt if he went away. The Government ought to have organised tho industries of the country long ago. Mr Shugar, in seconding the motion. »aid that very 60on Now Zealand would

have Bent away 120,000 soldiers, and it had been computed that the averago earnings of these 120,000 men was £2OO a year. What was the Government of the day doing for theso men and their had been said that the allowances provided were adequate. Were they? It could surely not be considered unfair to say that the averago purchasing power of the sovereign to the housewife now was something like 12s. A wife with one child would have an income of £2 12s 6d, including soldier's allotments, the purchasing power of which would bo something liko i £1 lis. He instanced the caso of a married man who went away with the Second Reinforcements. He allotted the whole of his pay to his wife andi three children, and this unfortunate woman did not receive any allotment until within a few weeks of her hn-band's return to New Zealand. She and her children were left to the tender mercy of friends. This soldier told a still moro pathetio Btory of a co*mrado of his who served with him in the Boer war and again at Gallipoli. He was a widower with three children. He enlisted and arranged with his sister to care for his children, leaving all his pay for them. While he was on Gallipoli he received a letter from his sister stating that she had not received any money from the Government, a;nd as a result she had had to place the children in an industrial school. The unfortunate man did not_ live to return _to New Zealand, being killed while fightintr the battles of the Empire. In. face of such evidence, could the Second Division soldiers be blamed for demanding that justice be done by their dependents before they leave this country? If the country could not standi the comparatively light burden that the granting of the league's demands would entail, how in the name of justice could it stand the payment of millions to lenders of money on gilt-edged security? Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., said that, generally speaking, the facte placed beforo the meeting were substantially correct. The best answer to the financial arguments against increasing allowances was that allowances had been subsequently increased. He congratulated the Second _ Division League upon the way it had •justified its existence, because no doubt soldiers had the league to thank for many privileges they enjoyed. The difference between the league and the Government was practically reduced to the question of making provision for the wives of the men away. What they should aim at was to place the wives of soldiers in such a position that they would # be able to enjoy the same standard of living while their husbands were away as they had done beforo they went away. It seemed to him that if the 3s a day for a wife was granted it would mean very little additional burden. With regard to the second part of the question he was generally in favour of it, but so far as some aspects of it were concerned it might be difficult. Mr C. E. Statham, M.P., speaking as the member for Dunedin Central, said he thought the league had been working wholeheartedly, not only for the benefit of the dependents but for every man fighting at the front who belonged to the First' Division. He was quite sure the men of the Second Division would be quite ready to go when their turn came. Their concern was as to the welfare of their dependents, and their action had been of material benefit to the dependents of the men at the front, and the dependents of those who had fallen. Sir James Allen, every time a suggestion had been thrown out as to advances being made to the dependents of these soldiers who had been in receipt of small salaries before they went to the front, had said, "Look what they are getting." He had explained that many men were better off now than beforo the war began. Why should they not be? If it came to money payment, they could not pay too much to a man who was risking his life. The argument advanced by the Minister seemed a ridiculous and hard-hearted argument. Many wives had had to go to the Patriotic Associations for assistance, which was absolutely wrong. He was particularly in sympathy with the first part of the motion. The motion was carried unanimously. Mr J. E. M'Manus moved, and Mr Robertson seconded, that all allowances should be made retrospective as from the commencement of the war. This was also carried unanimously, and the proceedings closed with the singing of the National Anthem. OTHER" MEETINGS. GISBORNE, May 8. At a meeting of the Second Division League to-night there was a very full discussion of the various aspects of the _ recruiting question. The following resolutions were carried unanimously:— That this league demands from the Government the irreducible minimum arrived at by the league in the matter of allowances to dependents of soldiers; and, failing this, that a general election be demanded. That the custom of depriving dependents of soldiers of any portion of their allowances because a soldier has been guilty of a breach of the military regulations be discontinued. That the Second Division League insists that in no circumstances should the system of three clear months' notice after medical examination be abandoned." It was also . decided to send a delegate to the Wellington conference.

TIMARU, May 8. The Lyceum Theatre was packed to-night by an orderly gathering- of members of the Second Division League and women. The Mayor (Mr Maling) presided and Messrs J. Craigie and J. Anstey. M.P.'s were present. Mr R. A. Armstrong (president of the National League Federation) gave a long address and was frequently applauded. He stated that it was intended to hold a dominion conference at Wellington on the 22nd inst. and a delegation would wait on Ministers to ask that the requests of the Second Division League be given effect to in "justice to dependents, and, if Ministers said the proposals were unsound, they would be asked to submit a better scheme. The delegation would demand a definite statement, and would accent no indefinite promise. This statement was loudly applauded. Resolutions were passed, in effect, as, follows:—(1) Demanding that the Government imnjodiatelv "ran: the demands of the league. (2) Wife and children of Second Division reservists on active service to have the same fight to decent living ana comfort as is enjoyed by the wife and children of the stay-at-home. (3) While a strong feclins; exists m favour of a general election, the meeting urge the Government to adont the less disturbing couise of n referendum on the Second Division I eaguo's requests.

CANTERBURY'S LOYALTY. OnaiSTCIiURCH, May 9. At a meeting of the Canterbury Provincial

Lentre of the Second Division League tonight tho following motion was carried unanimously :—" That this council interprets tho constitution of the league as binding every member to loyalty and to 'the support of the Government in carrying out tho Military Scrvico Act in its entirety, and as indicating his willingness to serve under that Act; and any man or woman in claiming membership accepts this interpretation of tho constitution."

VIEWS OF AUCKLAND EXECUTIVE. AUCKLAND, May 10. Tho executive of tho Second Division Leaguo carried a resolution affirming that physical fitness should be the solo> test of liability for military service. The president was appointed a delegate to tho dominion conference, and instructed to use all his influence, by constitutional methods solely, to obtain the ends for which the league is aiming.

MEETING AT PAHIATUA. PAHIATUA, May 10. At a large public meeting, which was addressed bv the district members, the Mayor and others, it was unanimously resolved that in tho opinion of the meeting the demands of the Second Division League are the least possible minimum which should be paid to married men and their dependents. A committeo was appointed to consider matters relating to the affairs of distressed soldiers and also to assist men and their dependents to apply for such pay and allowances as they are entitled to. The Medical Board is to be asked to hold a sitting in Pahiatua.