SOUTH AFRICAN VETERANS' ASSOCIATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 15080, 1 December 1919, Page 9

SOUTH AFRICAN VETERANS' ASSOCIATION.

A re-presentative- meeting of the South African Veterans' Association was iield m the Soldiers' Club o-n Saturday eyoniing."thA 'prcsidcat (Mv J/ Pbynter) ' occupying" the- chair. The principal business. ot : the evening was rogardi-n-g-the attitude of the Government towards the Association's request to be allowed to participate m ill© benefits • under the soldiers' settlement'"' scheme. The Premier, i -ii reply. to a telegjpam asking this to' be' done, wrote-, "Thait' it was impossible to allow South African veterans to participate m the soldiers' settlement scheme at the, present, time • but as soon as tho bulk of the returned members of tlhe Ne\v Zealati^'Expeditionai-y Force had beenV dealt with tlie South 'African veterans) would bo allowed to».com© in.'' This' question, was thoroughly discussed by the mectiaig, and it was "decided to ■ continue the agitation for recognition, at tho' earliest possible moinen.t. " It was poTrited out " that "men who : liad' f ougtit m •South Africa- vrero all of mature years, and were " 'therefore' more likely Ho be suocessi'iill thaai /H'biuigcr, nien with less experience, ' aiid that t3iejlonger this was donied; to them; tho feweV 'the number that would be eiiatf>o!.t6enjd.y the benefit' of 'the scheme./ Iti,' wa&'fiiilher decided j to •ci!rc;uj^s»"'/^h t er..bra^'lihes.of the Association, also tlje ; l>oiii:nibn executive, v ajtd tlid'^letitirned Soldiers' i /'Associa i tiKon;. a^km^/'theii*' support, amd that •'aJr i 'bMdiyaW^"foi' > :^E[Wia.mont ' be..asked to. pl-edge^He'^eh^-'/tHO-.^ui'ther . t-Tie aims arid;' "object^ of the Association '. i'h this direction.' V,'.- ; . -I. To.mak&fthe:. Associ^aon as. representative as possibie/the. meeting unrtnimously decided that membership ; ; -: §iiould not bo restricted, to' th,o:',iffjtf -..Zpaland. -South Africail contingents,, but; be 'open to'aCl' - who.had served- in' ; fya\\\h: Africa. Tho president mentioned, /that .one member pi'esent had idst.-a.Jegi throujrli the effects r>f a railwjay'- accident : f im Sonth. 'Afriw, and had /riot" been' supplied. M-itli an arti-Scial-limb;; so it • decided to press his clflim/'on C^veriuiicntt for i\> and get him supplied! wi|h' an 'arlinciiif leg; tlie - ; san!Rp./ a^' supplied to : ■the rebiirned . aoldiers'. It. was hhn montionjed that some lind slilt . back pay wing, to them ;, others . had not. yet received their . jnedplsf . /So', that if ' any South African. veteraniiijis any claim to make, and witl 'cprn'mimimt-e with tho secretary, tlicv Association -will back them up and forward their '-claim to the proper .q'tuir'ter. r - "^-. ; '■."" . " '''.':'■''';■:'■'.')/ ' . After' tho meeting closed, Sir James Carroll;, who had been addressing the .. ' mejinbers of tbe.<;Returiwd^Scildiprs' ;Ass'ociation,- .was .iayited . inVtof-h^ve .the v'.eivrs., of ,tlr& Association : pkced before him".. Mesjrs iMcDon^.d,;|u^rW. 'Pitt were, tho 'chief 4PP^-eairn.€«'/.rili'4 latter ' entJemaiii making- t|ie lu^eatiphV which ,'"' met wn^h, the. :appVavdlv-Of;"Oio3e /present, I "that" when any land , was thrown , open (of settlement' for the /returned i l i ciert^in percentiago /should be, set- "aside j f or Souili African y.e tei^ria. *' "' . / j Sir Ja-mea" "CarrolO ,"■ m 'replying, said ■ . Miaf- as one of '"'the'' old 'veterans fftid a/ ■nedal man it gave him great pleasure ■'/■■ ">o be present aiid meet tho -members of.l.he Associfiiion liav© an inform nlj f »alk over tlieir tl '-ainis' r !ind' objective. He ; j considered that tlmir request* for inclu- | iibii inT"the soldiers' "sattlement scliemo I Tas right and reasonable, and that the ' c ormafcion .of. an AssociaAjon" wa,s a step n|, til©" right direc^nj and wOijld be vqhiabiei^not only "i'or mutual self-help, •iut af-so of value on the social sid©', where .;old;comivVdes;- i (totild : . i meet talk i> ■>yer r expei'iencc'fj^jijiif reneW^old' friend",hij>.. The ,m<iTO object and the goa,l i!o I Bo' kept' in /yie'w .^waiTtliai first of all I 'hey must -obtam 'recojrnition of their I iflfhts, and detrtils could then be work- I x d out later. I^e further iissured them I l h{it if returiied;to, v Parliame7iii> "h& would ?l 1o "all m his power .to fm^'her .their '" claims. •■■■'••■ ■ ' ■"•■' ' .. .-a ; ' M.i 4 W. PitY meisiohed that- fiiere were | njwiy „spld,ieijs m. ,the ; country at the -■ resent ,t>me who had served im South M Africa, in 1 the Imperial Army, and con: -j Miigents of f other cd<jnies and Domin- ; ■ oris,' aiid /'that ■■ ; ihe't|u.es''tion' 'would- g taturally arise 1 , as. to; whether. they wouid' ■ V allowed t-q come, under this scheme. 1 He (the speaker) was m favor of it, as I considered we were all members of I i© same rKrifpite, arid'ha^ fdiight under- "', the same flag.fbr Khig'and ■cbun.ti'y. Sir James, m reply^ said he also was im favor of this, although he foresaw .=wme difficulty mipih^'i^Thaps arise, but H the.^sjune time he/idid not think but l hat tJitg oould be got over withoutimuch trouble". -. • • . '•:■_■,:>•■!<':■ ■'• r' 1 -.' „,.;Afiber some further qiiestions/hhid been, out and answered, the chairman pronosed a hearty vote of thanks to Sir •Tames " Carroll, which was carried by acchunatipn., -.^ •;;.:, ' ; ;