“AMONG THE DIGGERS."

Otago Witness, Issue 3724, 28 July 1925, Page 6

“AMONG THE DIGGERS."

PRIME MINISTER CHEERED. EX SOLDIERS’ ENTHUSIASM. PALMERSTON N., July 20. The Prime Minister (the Hon. J. 0. Coates) paid his first official visit to Palmerston North to-day, and he was not in the town many minutes before he was among his old friends, “The Diggers,” in the Soldiers’ Club. lie was cheered on entering the building, and cheered on leaving it, and in bis short stay among “The Diggers” he made an impression that must have been gratifying even to the plain straight going.

After the Prime Minister had been cheered, hand shaken, and generally made as welcome a 3 a king, Mr Bert Jacobs made a short speech, formally expressing the pleasure of the ex-soldiers in having Mr Coates among them. Mr Jacobs mentioned that Mr Coates was the first soldier from the late war who had been elevated to the high position of Prime Minister of one of his Majesty’s dominions. “We cordially welcome you and we feel that we are a little bit of you,” was how he put it. Mr Coates, he added, had a difficult task ahead, because he followed in the footsteps of Mr Massey, a man who had been in many ways distinguished and who had gone to the hearts of everyone. He hoped Mr Coates would have a very successful term of office, and he assured him that big things were expected of him from the returned soldiers. They hoped for the completion Dy him of the policy laid down by Mr Massey. Mr Jacobs mentioned tnat there were present that day men who had taken an interest in the foundation of the club, notably Messrs Percv MTTardy, Charles Louisson, James Arthur Bennett, James Nash, and Colonel Pringle. Mr Coates said he could not express the pleasure he felt at being present among the ex-soldiers, and in being made so welcome by them. It was a great source of encouragement to one who was endeavouring to take up"the work of the late Mr Massey. Throughout New Zealand’s darkest hours Mr Massey had never wavered. He was a very cheery soul, most confident and optimistic, and when he spoke he had the whole country behind him. He brought this little country through in a way which made for it a name throughout the whole of the Empire. He Usct a fine example for anyone to follow. Mr Massey’s was a policy of broad Imperialism. We all agreed with it. Mr Coates said he realised very thoroughly the difficulty of endeavouring to fill the shoes of one who had found his way into the hearts of evervone in New’ Zealand, whether they agreed with him politically or otherwise. A change, however, had to come, and if effort would enable him in some wav to fill the place vacated bv Mr Massev, h e would not fail for the lack of sincere effort.

Mr Coates congratulated tho ex-soldiers on keeping the club going. It was a matter of importance to the men who had served that mch institutions should be kept together, and he congratulated these who had holned to that end. “After nil,” added Mr Coates, “our comrades' welfare is the concern of all of ns. We were all mixed up in the scrap together, and it is for us now to stick together and use our best endeavours to help the chap who is finding it a bit hard to get on. I am quite sure we shall succeed, so I congratulate you on keeping your association together. I think it is the concern of all of us that the man who did the job must have recognition, and I think he must be the first consideration of any loyal Government. We know New Zealand recognises ■what was at stake, and we must not forget it. We have our independence to-day. We would not have hnd it if we had not bucked in and done the job. At the time it was a big sacrifice, but no sacrifice is too big for the constitution wo have. I hope we shall never allow' that constitution to go. We believe it provides liberty and freedom and offers the most democratic form of Government to be found in any nation. I believe the exsoldiers will always be found ready to protect the liberty we enjoy under the British flag.”

Mr Coates said that a great deal had been done for the returned soldiers of New Zealand. Somewhere about £30,000,000 had been spent in establishing them in businesses of various kinds. All the men helped had not been a success, but that was not necessarily the end of the matter. These men had taken on something to which they were not suited, and there were other lines in which they might quite well succeed. In the meantime if there was a man hard up, they must try and find him a job somewhere among them. It must not always be the Government who looked after the men; it was a matter of all helping, but if necessary the Government would help. In regard to those who were disabled, the annual cost was about £200,000 Unfortunately, it was a disappearing amount, for the men were passing away. Whenever anyone came across a case in which he thought justice had not been done he should take it up, and perhaps the Government might be able to help a little more. “I hojfe,” he concluded, “that those hero to-day and the other veterans will find the path ‘brighter ns Ihc years go by. Speaking for the citizens of New Zealand, I say they appreciate what the soldiers have done, and they are willing to help whenever they can.”