R.S.A. AND Y.M.C.A.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVIII, Issue 16829, 26 May 1919, Page 7

R.S.A. AND Y.M.C.A.

To .the Editor of "The Timarujteald.'* Sir,—l think the R.S.A. are perfectly justified in objecting' to the proposed joint building scheme foivTimaru.' Jheir Memorial Hall is aii idea, distinct" from a Y.M.C.A. club-house. The Y.M. was deservedly all-popular .with • the Division in .France up at-the line,, Jess so at the base in Etaples, still less in Sling, Cb'dfrirdj and the other .English camps, aii'd back in civil life the ex-soldier feels, very little desire to carrv on under the Red' Triangle. Ido not think that the Y.M. anywhere or at. any time has been or could be unpopular, but the fact remains that the soldier wants liis own club. -

The statement made at th,» R..S.A. meeting that the soldier, paid for/ what he got from the Y.M.C.A. was resented at last night's meeting, and some might be led to think the soldiers are un.grateful. If, in my following remarks, I criticise the Y.M., I want it known that iny criticism touches but one small point of a wide and wonderfuliv active organisation, and -that- I am a. staunch admirer of the Y.M. in Prance. If I am not so enthusiastic for the Y;M. elsewhere th e reason may be that I do not know it well enough. However, I write that which I know, -and I write.not. to oppose the Y.M. but to justify what, was stated at the; R.S.A. The hoys did pay for what they got from the Y.M.C.A. At the same time they.got lots of "buckshee" through not-from the'Y.M.C.A. I am sure the. digger will never prove ungrateful to the New Zealand ptfblic'. that provided the funds or to the Y.M. field secretaries —grand fellows all—who distributed these gifts. Who of us is going to-forget that cup of steaming cocoa we got in the Y.M. dug-out near/Track Six at 2 a.m. when we were coming: back to Ypres out of the slush at Passchendaele ? How welcome too the drink at the walking wounded station! All this buckshee was bought with money given to the Y.M. for the soldiers, and the soldiers acknowledge the heroism, generosity and cheerful spirit of the men who distributed it. But I maintain that when the boys bought goods from th e Y.M.-—chocolate, biscuits, tinned fruit, etc. —they paid a higher price than ruled at the B.E.F. canteen. I repeatedly served behind a Y.M. counter and I know. Moreover, the Y.M. in England charged too ! much. It was able to buy on an immense scale, and yet hi Codford its prices were in every line higher' than those at the struggling C.W.L. hut— Catholic Women's League—which had to buy like ordinary retailers and had great difficulty in getting supplies. I assert that the Y.M was not a geneious seller'.to the troops. Again in: France the Y.M. must have made-en*, crmous profits by keeping to the ungenerous rate of exchange for English silver coins. A Treasury note was worth 27 francs 70 centimes. -•> and- yet the Y.M. gave only 3 francs for a- half crown, 2': francs 40 centimes for a florin, 1 franc 20 centimes for a- shilling, although these coins were worth 3 francs 46 centimes, 2 francs 77 centimes, and 1 franc 30 centimes respectively, and each time a soldier spent 5s 6d in Enelish silver he lost a franc, and the Y.M. got it. and that means that the Y.M. owes the soldier quite alot of money. ' :. ' '.' I repeat that I write only to clear away'a misconception'. My criticism touches only the financial side of the Y.M., and I want to acknowledge publicly my gratitude to the Y.M'.,'' for their huts .were always at; my disposal if no church was convenient. 'While we all .say "hats off to the, Triangle" /we go. on saying;/that' we of the R.S.A. ask the- public of .South .Canterbury to .entriist .to us the control of the Memorial Hall-—part" of which, will "devour club house—-erected to the SieinoTy of bur'comrades who/sleep'on the hills" of GnTKpoli, or on th^/fields,.of. Franca. and~£elgium.—l am, ..etc.,. -../ F. Sv BARTLEy; -'C.F:'- ; ■•'' The Pfibry.-/Timarir. May2ij--19la>

To the Editor of ; "Timaru Herald," - sSiiy—JL'regret'tt>' you for the rurtoer use of your coi'umns oa lihis (juestion, but soine of tlh©: remaiks at. the Y.M.O.A- meeting on l<\i(iiay night,' ait., reported in, Saturday's issue, have-perhaps created a wrong irirpreS;. sion. A question was asked' at\ the meeting: "Was it true as seated at the meeting of the JL.S.A. Tiinaru this week tiiat whatever the soldiers got from the Y.M.C.A. tihey Y had, to pay for." This is hardly correct. The statement ref eerred to was quoted in niy letter in reply to "Red, "White andBlue" on Friday, and was as follows:

• 'We nearly always had to pay for What we got from tlh©' Y.M.C.A., '..*. and wohjld probably still: Shave' to pay if we went! on. with them'now."- This statement was not made by me, ,aud 'I : shoulid therefore riot have- beFtt: accused of making it. Mr Oiffen, secretary' of the Y.M.C.A., stated that I could riot stand up to the assertions ' T made. Now, sir, I am careful never to make assertions that I cannot stand. Tip tio, and I would 1 point out that Mr Cliffen has jumpcdl too smartly, wrongly accused: me, and really ft Is he who should he mlore careful. I wilfl maJko this assei--tion, however: I personally never re-; ceived anything from the Y.M.C.A. without paying for it, unlessi" Mr Cliffen- would include the -uses of the canteens, where I bought .-'tea,, biscuits, etc., ami I was of the opinion. l as these canteens were usually in buildings in the towns, that they were, allotted to the Y.M.C.A. 'oj the billetling officials. • ..'■,' ' Mv' Teason for not '"- using the Y.M".C.A. social facilities was that in 'common with a number of other men in my battalion I had a personal objection -to the Y.M.C.A., and preferred to use s>ich institutions as the Ohurch Army, Salvation Army, and War Chest

Fund. ■■■ ' ■-.. , ' '"■ - :.■£•- One speaker is reported as saying .that .the,S.C.E..S.A. did not represent more than a fourth of the, returned men in South Canterbury, and that in Dunedin there were threes soldiers' clubs arid "that.' ar-soldier could- - not: obtain, anything free, from any one ot them.. The., .§.C?-11-,S.;A'. nriclo.ubfedly has as members, exclusive of "members. •of the Waimatf, Temuka and Geraldine Associations, at least four-fifths: of the soldiers of South Canterbury. All retufiied soldiers honourably discharged or prior to discharge are free to use. club rooms run by any R.S.A. throughout the dominion, whether they are members or not. I understand that the annual subscription to theY.M.C.A. is £1 Is, with free membership for one year to returned soldiers. The R.S.A. annual fee is 10s. It is a peculiar thing that while prominentsoldiers like Generals Russell ami Richardson here, and Sir Douglas Haig and others at Home have nothing but praise to say for the Y.M.C.A. there, are numbers of ex-privates, n.c.o's and officers in Timaru and throughout the. dominion with opposite views, seeming to point out that these high officers did not see the organisation from the same point of view as the- men.—T am, etc., F. D. YOUNG.