HELPING THE SOLDIER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12635, 21 May 1919, Page 6

HELPING THE SOLDIER.

ADVICE FROM GENERAL RICHARDSON, THE DISABLEMENT PROBLEM. The New Zealand soldier, said General Richardson to-day, had mad© a great reputation not only foj* physical smartness and soldierly bearing, but also for good conduct. Some of them had come back and got a little too much drink, but drink had not been a common crime in tho Expeditionary Borce, .and he ventured to say that there was no force on the whole of tho western front where there were less offences for drunkenness than in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Wherever he had gone he had sounded people for their opinion of the New Zealand soldier, and lie had been placed first in the estimation of everybody aa a man who was a good all-round mail both morally and physicallyThe hig problem of the future was the disabled man, General Richardson added. There were still large sums in hand for various purposes, and he hoped that that money would bo used largely to civilly re-establish these men. What they asked was the opportunity, and ho did not want to see again what he had seen in London, namely, men with returned soldiers' badges chalking pictures on tho pavement for pennies, or grinding organs. These men mustbe helped to become useful citizens. (Hear, hear.) The returned soldier had made .mistakes, General Richardson added. Psychologically he was a little different from-when-he went away, but ho could be made into a better man, because-he) bad received a wide education. The war had brought ail classes togetherThe rich, the educated and the refined had associated with the poor and uneducated man. They had gone over the top together, fought for the Empire together. and although, perhaps, before the war they had had class distinctions, they now realised that beneath every man’s coat- there was a good heartThese men had come back with a better ken of one another. The superior class had a higher esteem for men in humble life, and in that alone the war bad done an immense amount of good. “Let us all, whether rich or poor,” said the General, “look upon the soldier ns a bettor man He may make mistakes, but he has been through experiemras. _ Wc must realise that his lies in (rood citizenship. Let- us all unite as wo did in the war in helping to restore him to civil life, and make him a (rood citizen and give him the career which ho deserves.” (Applause/) Speaking of defence. General Richardson said that tho country must not let its system ol defence become so iveah as to risk the security of the Empire, or allow flic introduction of any system which would weaken the defence of the country. He hoped that satisfactory conditions would result from the Peace Conference, but. whes ther or not, the country must still train its bovs and male© them fit to defend themselves. They wanted tn attack no one, but they did want to he ready in ™se of atta ck. Tn conclusion, General Richardson asked those present to get a true of the war. realising tnat New Zealand, however hinh she had set her name, had only played her T ,,,,r L things had been done by “ Old England.”