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REFERENCE. TO .RETURNED
-. .. SOLDIERS.
S.O Lz T o t h e E d i t o r .
d: ir.-Klndly allow me a little space
to?deal with the/question of preference
t& returned soldiers. I, myself, am a re
Jeeted man, with a wife aild two children.
I :am looking for work and wlling to
work: I ,have ,.walked -around.- all- the
different rbad and drainage jobs 'about
-Poh{.l t What IFaam asked when I apply
to?-the. bosses of the" various jobs is
'"re you a returned soldier?" When
L.say that I am a reject with a family,
all I get is.-"We 'only employ return
ed "soldiers here." Ali I znot as good as
,f,,returned man? I was, turned down;
when I wanted to go to the war. I do
?ot know whether my wife, children and
ndyself are supposed to starve. It would
be="interestiig to inyself 'and hundreds
&-?f?theriunemployed to know if the Pre
niier (Sir James Mitchell) could. furnish
us: with some figures as to how many
men are being employed on Government
job'e about Perth who are not returned
soldiers, and how many single men are
on.Jarious jobs.-. I worked. on a Govern-.
men job',lately arid I can name to the
Tremier .ibout- eight single men-some
retfirned.and getting a pension and some
isW arrivals-who were getting over
time on the- job, when '.other men
YaPnted work. They. were getting -=S
and. £9 -a week. I would like -to ask
the. Government officials' if that is 'a'
f?ir, thing. I am an Australian and have
lired here all, my life and cnannot get.
,iirk .with enough -wages- to "keep - a
flmily. I ..am willing to go into the
country but only for £2 or £2 10os a
week. That is not a living .wage for a
- man with a family.and yet you can see
new .arivals on our trams about the
. 'rets of Perth.. Ex-service men and
ifw. arrivals 'gt the preference over
Australians. If the Government, who
hve- been put in -their jobs by The
pe6ple of WVeaers lAustralia, cnna? "
dobetter than this, it is time they got
out.-Yours, .etc.
AN UNEMIPLOYED MAN WHO
".W?ANTS FAIR PLA?.
Perth, October 20.
$