THE SECOND DIVISION.

Southland Times, Issue 17972, 13 March 1917, Page 3

THE SECOND DIVISION.

To the Editor. Sir, —I write to you in the hopes that you will grant me a little space to put forward opinions which I hope will be of some use to the members of the proposed League of Second Division Men. In the first place, I take it, the object in forming this League is to try and make the lot of the married man’s dependents a little more comfortable and assured, should the breadwinner be called to the colours, and in the event of his deatli or disablement. Now, Sir, I think you will agree with me that if our Government must take the heads of families, adequate provision should be made for those they leave behind. Under the present scheme, an allowance of 5s 3d per week is made for each child under 14 years of age. This, I think, most family men will agree, is quite out of proportion to the amount required to properly rear and educate a child so that it may in the future not have to become a burden on the State. The Government say that the father of an Illegitimate child shall pay 7s 6d per week towards its support, not that 7s 6d is ample, but only as assistance to the mother of the child. Such being the case, surely the child of a married soldier must at least bo worth as much, if not more. This is one of the points that to my mind will have to be strongly Impressed on the Government. I now come to another point. Supposing that married men are called up I would like to know in what rotation are the men on service to return to our dominion. I certainly think that all married men should be the first to return, to enable them to find employment and not be dumped on the country to find the usual avenues of employment closed, and their places taken by single men. The best citizen to my mind is the prosperous working man with three or fouf of a family, and he Ls the man who should be properly protected. You doubtless hear expres-

sions of opinion that New Zealand is going to boom after the war, and that everyone is going to be in clover. I sincere!v hope we will be so fortunate, hut 1 also hope that in the rush for wealth the unfortunate cripple will not be forgotten. The man who fights for his country and unfortunately becomes disabled must always be our first consideration, but I am afraid for him. History, you know, has a knack of repeating Itself. 1 am firmly of opinion that a Second Division League Is necessary. and it behoves every married man in the Division to do all in his power to see that when the time comes for him to join the colours, his wife and children will be left, not ‘in affluence but with sufficient to bring up and educate the children to enable them to take the place in the world they are justly entitled to. A public meeting is, I understand, to bo called to place the whole matter in front of the parties interested, and I hope that all reservists will make an effort to attend, as it is only by putting forward a united front that the Government can be made to see that justice must be done.—l am, etc., INTERESTED. March 12.