The Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1918. SOLDIERS’ CLUBS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLII, Issue 11456, 8 February 1918, Page 4

The Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1918. SOLDIERS’ CLUBS.

SPEAKING afc Palmerston recently the Hon. G. W. Russell took occasion to question the wisdom of expending large sums of money for the erection of soldiers’’ cluhs, and the tendency thus indicated to divide the people of the country into two classes—those who fought and those who did not. The criticism is opportune, and if it avails to place a check [on the evolutiou'pf the proposal he will have done a service to the Dominion. For ourselves we have received many appeals from persons interested in the success of the fund to do what wo could to direct subscriptions in that direction. But have consistently ignored them all. There are many objections to the proposal, and it would be all to the good if over-officious people who are aiding in the scheme would sit down and endeavour to’realise the little need that exists for soldiers’ clubs and the undesirable consequences that are likely to result from their general establishment. Unfortunately there are people to whom the mention of .an alleged need ox

raising money |for'auy purpose nets as au explosive to project them into the begging line. They would push for subscriptions for the burial of dead cats if there was nothing else handy as an excuse for rattling a box under the noses of the community. At Palmerston North there is a project for the building of a soldiers’ club to cost no less than £50,000, and that in war time,, and there aro people who are doing their best worst to raise the money.

Now, apart from the inadvisability of permanently sinking large sums of money at the present time in expenditure upon enterprises of questionable value, the query presents itself whether we aro sending too much in the way of money,and comforts to tire men who aro still at the hell on earth and suffering all the hardships and privations incident to war. There are Y.M.C. A. and other funds which have been established to meet the crying ,:,and urgent needs of the wounded and the fighters, and as wo have not heard

that they aro receiving too much wo may take it for granted that the sums now being raised for soldiers’ clubs aro being diverted from their legitimate objective. The men who have been in the fight, and have returned, deserve every reasonable consideration. But they aro with us, and are subject to no particular hardships, and wo believe that patriotic funds can find a worthier cause in Prance an d Egypt than in palatial erections for mere casual occupation. If the returned soldiers desire admission to clubs there aro plenty in which membership is open to them. And in any case there are always homes open to those who have them, which aro bettor than any club.

One of ’ the principal objections to tho establishment of these institutions was that mentioned hy the Minister—that it would necessarily cause a poli tca 1 and social cicavsge in the comm unity. We shall very probably be having a soldier party of immense political influence and voting power. That tho Second Divsion did not become a great political party recently, with aims which conflicted with those of the communty, was due, not to the leaders, butlto tho reasonableness and moderation of the rank and file, which refused to be led into tho support of immoderate demands. An association of the kind would probably parallel the political operations of the Grand Army in America, the survivors of the Civil War, which has used its influence very much to its own advantages in the State. But in the Dominion it would wield still larger proportionate power, because the soldiers under our system will be in relatively gro dor numbers to the population than in America. Some people may be shocked at tho supposition that a patriotic army may use its influence for its own ends in opposition to those of the Dominion. But, followed down to bod rock, politics are universally found to be for making money or retaining it, and wo certainty have parties enough for a little community such as ours without the birth of another. What to do with spare money is hardly a groat problem. Our men need a lot at tho front, and so do the widow s and orphans, far more than do bricks and mortar.