The majority of the men behave themselves with perfect propriety during their somewhat generous leave, but a considerable minority have lately made themselves conspicuous even during the daytime by appearing in the streets under the influence of liquor.
At night, long after the hotels have closed men may be seen in little groups holding convivial meetings of their own and settling the affairs of the Empire with the accompaniment of tilted beer bottles and boisterous singing and shouting.
Most of them are well meaning enough, but occasionally there are reports of peaceful citizens being molested, and of women having to move off the side walk to the middle of the street to escape disagreeable attention.
The petition is not being promoted by the prohibitionists, or by any other body of extremists, but by prominent people in the city, who are concerned for the comfort of the community and the well being of the soldiers themselves.
The Bishop of Wellington wrote to the newspapers on the subject some time ago, but so far his appeal to the men and the authorities appears to have produced no satisfactory result.
• At the meeting of the Otago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, held yesterday afternoon, particular reference was made to the clause in the annual report dealing with the careless use of pea rifles.
The clause reads: ''Your committee has kept carefully in view during the past 12 months the question of the indiscriminate use of the pea rifle and the danger connected with the same, and has lost no opportunity in bringing the subject under the notice of the Government with the view of obtaining satisfactory restrictive legislation.
''Last Session, from the pressure of business, the question had to remain in abeyance, but the Hon. Mr Bell has informed the society that when Parliament has again time to attend to matters of the kind he proposes to submit a measure which will enable the Government to deal with the pea rifle nuisance.
''Meanwhile the majority of the Otago members have had the question brought specially under their notice by the society, and it is satisfactory to know that they are generally inclined to support legislation dealing with the question when it again comes before Parliament.''
The Chairman (Mr Fenwick) said that over and over again he had referred to this matter. The committee had taken a great deal of trouble in endeavouring to get legislation introduced whereby some restriction could be placed on the menace to life and property caused through the indiscriminate use of the pea rifle.
It was no exaggeration to say that in the country districts it was a menace to life and property. A very striking instance of the damage done by the pea rifle had been brought under their notice by a Dunedin butcher, who had forwarded to their inspector portion of the bones of an animal which had been killed, and in which were discovered a flattened bullet from a pea rifle. (A photograph had been taken of the bone, and this was handed round the room.)
The speaker contended that they could thus gain some idea of what the unfortunate animal must have suffered.
The committee knew, however, that it had the sympathy of the Government in the matter, and the clause in the report explained the reason for the delay in the Government introducing a measure enabling it to deal with the evil.
- ODT, 29.1.1915.
