THE Daily Telegraph WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1921. NEGLECTED EX-SERVICEMEN.

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XVIII, Issue 6159, 3 March 1921, Page 2

THE Daily Telegraph WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1921. NEGLECTED EX-SERVICE-MEN.

Hem shall the Pi-onh thfl People's Riglu maintain, Unawed by influoiiM und unbribed by gain Here Patriot Truth her glorious precepts draw. Pledged to ReliKiou Übeitv and Law

No appreciable progress, appeal's to have been made so far by England's Prime Minister. Sir Lloyd George, towards the practical realisation of his ideal of making Great Britu'in "a country fit for heroes to live, in," as the great slump hi trade and the financial stringency have thrown many ex-sen'ice men out of work. Many thousands of other! ox-service men have not been able to obtain any work since they were demobilised. The condition of the ■ uneployed ex-service man to-day is evidently not much better than the e-ondition of the vc)te<rans of previous wars, whom a. grateful country allowed to beg in the highways and byways. During the great war (those who remained behind and whose very existence depended upon the fighting men on the fields of Flanders, were loud in their promises to see to it that the soldiers would not be reduced to begging in the streets after the war was over, but information coming to hand from time to time shows tha-fr hundreds of ex-service men are to be found in London and provincial towns begging for coppers. As begging is a legal' offenbe they are compelled to resort to various means to cover their appeal to chanty. Never before has London had so many street musicians and pavement sellers of post-cards, ehoco-hfttes*-and cheap toys, and barrel organs and brass bands, consisting of three or four men arc to-be found everywhere), many of them ex-ser-vice officers, who, to hide their identity and shame at being forced to adopt such a, method of earning a livelihood, have resorted'to the wearing of masks. While it would ; be idle to assume that ail ex-service j men begging in the streets' of Lou- , don and elsewhere- are deserving of , assistance' or even of pity, but it . f may be taken for granted that the ( conn.ry owes a. djdy to the great

majority of those vviio fought ■Lin empire's ba(ties and has so far i'aill ed in timt duly. It is true that the trade slump lias accentuated the position, but i'lie problem is one that must be grappled \vitii, and it i M to be trusted that the Prime ■Minister of England a.nd the Government will lose nu more time in finding employment for ex-service men, or failing immediate employment will make provision for their adequate maintenance until suitable work oiJws. l