SOLDIERS IN NEED.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 561, 26 November 1915, Page 10

SOLDIERS IN NEED.

\ » SOME REMARKABLE STATEMENTS. PRIME MINISTER SYMPATHETIC. [Tide Son Special.] WELLINGTON, November 25. A remarkable state of affairs was revealed by a deputation of soldiers who waited upon the Prime Minister to-day. - The deputation consisted

of eight wounded and invalided soldiers who returned to the Dominion by the transports Tofua and Willochra recently. The men are sufficiently recovered not to need medical treatment and they have not received their discharges because the military authorities may be able to return them to the front. They have been given leave and ordered to report themselves for medical examination on December 2.9.

The requests made by the men were:—(l) That they shbuld be given railway passes to visit their relatives; (2) that they should be allowed a change of -underclothing and second uniform, and (3) that they should receive a ration allowance. The soldiers stated in effect that they possessed the clothes in which they stood and had to maintain themselves on their military pay of 5/- a day, payable monthly. They had not been provided with kits when they were given leave and no allowance was made to them in lieu of the free board and lodging they would have received in camp.

The deputation was not accompanied by reporters, but the men informed your correspondent later that they had received a very sympathetic hearing from the Prime Minister, who had promised to look into the matters mentioned by them and see what could be done.

"We don't think that we are being treated fairly," said one of the men subsequently. "We had a very fine reception when we arrived and a great many people are very generous and hospitable to us now. But most of us have the clothes we stand up in, and after we have paid our board and lodging we have no money left to clothes or pay railway fares. We are all hoping that when we report after Christmas we will get back into camp for another turn at the front. But in the meantime the

fellows who cannot get money from home are having a rather hard time." The men mentioned that they had not asked for assistance from any patriotic fund. They did not think they ought to be expected to seek help of that kind.