WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1917, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

DEFENCE EXPENDITURE. ALLEGED EXTRAVAGANCE. Special Correspondent. Wellington, Nov, 20. Perhaps it is only one of the canards that find circulation in Wellington during every recess, but there is persistent talk in the city of plain speaking in the Cabinet concerning waste and ; extravagance in the expenditure of the Defence Department. It is admitted that the lack of system and lack, of supervision, which ran up the cost of the caxrip at Trentham during the early • stages of the war to half as much again as it should have been, have been . repaired. Good food is no longer thrown to the pigs, and clothing is not issued and destroyed without regard to the taxpayers' interests. But a more insidious evil lias arisen. It is alleged that the numerous branches of the Department are being stuffed with favored individuals at salaries far above their value in the open market, to do work which is either wholly superfluous, or not worth half the expenditure it entails. Scores of instances of this sort of thing are quoted with more or less authority, and it is stated that sortie of these have been investigated with anything but reassuring results. It is known that representations have been made t6 the Government on the subject, and it is understood that a searching review of the Situation is now being made by the Minister himself, SOLDIERS' SETTLEMENT. Soldiers' settlement is another matter that is not running quite so smoothly as the soldiers themselves and the country hoped it would, after the fair promises made by the Government again and again since the beginning of the war. The Prime Minister himself admitted as much as this when addressing a deputation representing returned Soldiers, at Auckland, the other diy. Men who have been back from the frpnt for more than a year are stllL looking for land, and some of them are naturally growing a little impatient. One of them, after many disappointments, was allotted a block of seventy acres in the Mowahaki block, near Feilding, but soon found himself as far away from liis heart's desire as ever. "I went up to take possession," he states, "ac<i6mpanied by my cousin, who was born on a farm, and after looking over the block and the price ( £4O Is an acre), with fifty chains of boundary fencing to do, no buildings of any sort, and very little water, though it could be obtained by sinking, my cousin recommended me to have nothing to do with the land, as it'would cost £6O an acre, and he would not give £2O an acre for it." This has been the. experience of many other home seekers who are now being buoyed up by further promises from the Government. PRICES AND PROSPERITY. In an article appearing in the Evening Post of Saturday, the writer , makes a gallant parochial effort to excuse, or at any rate to palliate, the .high cost of living in Wellington. "Without commenting upon the figures,", he. says, after commenting upon them in an ambiguous fashion to the length of $. column and a half, "it may be observed that high prices are generally regarded as an indication of prosperity, and rip one would suggest that Wellington at the present time is not prosperous." Judged by thi% standard, certainly no one would. Bread has advanced 2d per two-pound loaf in Wellington, according to this authority, as against Id in Auckland, IJd in Dunedin, and no advance in Canterbury; flour has advanced 3d per 251b bag more than in any city, sugar lid per 561b bag more, and potatoes to a greater extent *than in Auckland or Christchurch,. though slightly less than in Dunedin. The only comfort offered to the Wellington housewife is that she does not pay so. much for her groceries as she would in "some smaller towns." The smaller towns that are indicated to save Wellington's face are RotorUa, Dannevirke, Alexandra and Napier. In Taihape, Blenheim, ' Palmerston . North, Greymouth, Hamilton, Invercargill, Oamaru, Wanganui, Timaru, New Plymouth and a dozen other representatiye towns, she would fare substantially better. In New Plymouth groceries are some 10 or 12 per cent, cheaper than they are in the capital city. THE SECOND DIVISION.

The second ballot of Second Division men in class A is being drawn to-day, but probably the results will not be published before the middle of next week. This draft is to be mobilised early in April, an'd in the meantime the reservists remaining in the class, some 5000, will be called up en bloc, as was the ease with the residue of the First. Division. The Director of Recruiting has received appeals from about 25 per' cent of the 5000 men drawn in the first Second Division ballot, a rather smaller proportion than was expected, and the medical examinations are proceeding satisfactorily. The Second Division League is not ceasing its activities on account of the married reservists, or of the soldiers generally, and it is largely due to its efforts that the National Efficiency Board is taking an active interest on more extended lines in the welfare of. the men. The League was somewhat severely criticised in various quarters over its insistence upon better provision being made for dependents, but apart from suclr.success as it has achieved in that direction, it may now congratulate itself upon having awakened the Government to a fuller sense of its obligations to the men, married and unmarried, who are going forth to fight the Empire's battles. CLASS A. After drawing 5000 names from Class A of the Second Division : at to-day's ballot the Government Statistician states that the Clasß contiiins still rather more 'than 4000 men. The number would have been larger but foi* the witlidrfl/wal of some hundreds of men who had omitted to mention their possession of children when registering originally, or whose status in this respect,had changed since registration. ' The remaining 4000 men are to f called up en bloc early in January. The ballot after that will make the first call on Class B of the Second Division, (married men with one child). The date is uncertain. The Minister for Defence stated recently that in consequence of the reduction of the quota, two recruit drafts would be dropped. One draft Is to be dropped in December, and it is likeW that the other will be dropped after the exhaustion of Class A. That would put the first Class B ballot back to March. On this point, however, there is yet no official announcement. CI RECRUITS. , The third draft of CI recruits, some COO strong, entered camp at Tauherenlkau last week. The draft, in the, light of previous experience, is regarded as a good jaininj; "faff believes that

it will produce over 350 fit men for the reinforcement drafts during the next few months. The latest CI recruits have the advantage of a developed training system and an experienced staff, and they are repotted to be taking to their work quite as cheerfully as the men who came before them. The transfer of fit men from the 01 camp to the A eamns has begun, rtnd will be continued as the training pro~-.v' and the recruits reach the necessary standard of fitness. Tt is noticeable that even the men who have finally to be discharged on medical grounds are benefiting very greatly by the training. Thov are allowed one month's leave on full pay in order that they may have time to reinstate themselves in civil employment. RE-EXAMINATION OF RECRUITS. Correspondence that has appeared in newspapers in various parts of the country suggests that some reservists, who have been declared unfit for active service at their first medical'examination, are disposed to think that they are being treftted unjustly if they are called up for re-examination. This , applies mainly to men who have been classed lower than C2 at the first examination. There is nothing in the law, or in the official statements of the recruiting authorities, to justify any reservist in believing that lie is finally exempt from service unless his physical infirmities are such as to render him absolutely useless in any military or qnasi-militaVy capacity. The Minister of Defence has stated that, the papers of C2 men are being sorted in order that selected men may be taken into the CI camp for preparatory training. No general re-examination of p men has been ordered, and probaVv it will not be ordered, but there is nothing to prevent the recruiting authorities calling up every rejected balloted man for re-examination if they think fit. It has happened that men have been 'vfongly classified, and there have been changes in medical requirements. The auihorities argue that if a man is still unfit, reexamination will not cause him any hardship. It he is fit, then it is not too late for him to take his place in the ranks.