QUESTION TIME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12637, 23 May 1919, Page 2

QUESTION TIME.

SOLDIERS AND THEIR GENERAL. AN UNEXPECTED “HANDS UP.” “Hands up those who arc out of work,” said General Richardson to a crowded and smoke-clouded roomful of returned soldiers at the club last night. There was no response, hut somebody gave an urgent prompting, and up went live'- hands. “■Rive,” counted ' the General. “Now hands up those who have a grievance against the Defence Department.” No hands went up. “ Hands up those who have a grievance against any other Department,” said the General. There were a few amused grunts from distant corners, os if this was a big order, b'it no hands went up. A soldier in the front lino took advantage of the invitation to aak questions, and inquired/if the General could say anything about gratuities. “ Yes, I can toll you something about gratuities,” said the General. “ You are goiug to got a gratuity, but you have not got it yet.” Thera nuis a general laugh at this soft answer, and the General went on to give his hearers an assurance that the matter would be dealt with and that the rein mod soldier had enough good friends to ensure that the gratuity would be as good as the country could afford. Another soldier said he wanted to make a, statement^ drawing attention to the high cost of living. ' The Genera! was sympathetic again, and-commented severely-on the conditions in Wellington, particularly under which a man had to pay as much as two-thirds of his salary for proper housn>g. In these circumstances, he said, the man could not enjoy the conditions c P life which everybody should wish him to enjoy. He was not a politician, but he thought that somebody should he able to devise a remedy.