"NEGLECTED SOLDIERS."

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10367, 17 June 1901, Page 2

"NEGLECTED SOLDIERS."

In an extract from the Lyttelton Times, published on 'Thursday^ it was stated that "no one in an official position seems to trouble about the fate of the colonial forces" in South Africa, and that "there are dozens of parents who are tortured by cruel anxiety concerning the fate and condition of their sons." This charge is one (says the New Zealand Times) which is very unjust to the Minister of Defence, as well as to the Imperial authorities. Military moil go as far ns to say that never in history has so much trouble been taken to keep in touch with individual soldiers on active 'service as has been taken by the War Office and the New Zealand Government with reference to men who have pone from this colony to South Africa. The questions put to the authorities at this end have been extremely numerous, and in order to obtain answers to them, inquiries have been made of a character such as would not be made, by cablogram, by the Imperial authorities on behalf of their own men. Mr geddon has been assiduous in securing information by cablegram, and in forwarding it by telegram to the inquirers as soon as -it has come to hand. In the case of mutilated messages he has never hesitated to havefurther inquiries made if the repetition of a message did not suffice. He has alwayß been careful to see that relat:ons were informed well in advance of. the newspapers, so that there might be ns, little Bhoclc as. possible to the feelings of the families and friends concerned when the news was bad. There have frequently been instances in which the Minister's private secretaries and officers of his department have spent 1 many hours of a day in endeavouring to settle knotty points of identity. The cost of cabling between New Zealand and South Afr'ca is very heavy, and there is a great pressure of work on the wires. Bub neither of these consideri ations have> been allowed to have weight with the Minister of Defence in his determination to get answers- to all reasonable inquiries made by the next-of-kin of absent troopers.