Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-08
CANADA'S RETURNED SOLDIERS
ny FREDERIC J. mAsKIS.

WASHINGTON. january 7.--Ont OF
l5'S26 soldiers that have returned "a
Sanhda from her overseas forces, only
a."ii are ciassiticd as wounded, in q
report or the Canadian military hos
pitfalls commission. Tn repor, t., 20.
pesiaiiy interesting to Americans. be.
cause tanada's war problem IS I'm name
ways similar to our own.
mat those actually wounded should
nc only Il fourth OF those who return
from the front is certainly an eve.
opener to the layman. .Oyer-orc" :,
the cause which rough homo nno,ha,
l.2S6, and this includes not only mon
over tofty-hvc, but all those rendered
uhnt Tor service by reason of their arc
Ihose returned bccausc they were i'm.
der age numbered $50; tuberculosis
rendered GO unfit for service. and iso
were insane. l:ut hy far the largest
group OF those returned arc the 1000
iaDcled other causes Some light /.
shcd on this classification by an analy-
SIS or ~ group of SIC men who were
returned for other reasons than medi.
Cd uhiilhesS. ~'StoppaSc of working
pay Is given as the reason why nearly
nan OF them were sent home. Some
got commissions in Canada; some were
sent nome to complete their studies.
ana some were classified as undesir-
abics. The proportion of the sick and
ouhde may be gaugcd from the fact
that ?.l2i OF those 1850 were sent To
hospitals or convalesccnt homes.
Percentage IL T~nbuIated.
The hospitals commission has also
made an effort to tabulatc in percentage
from tho seriousness OF Injuries 70.
cetved in war. Thus. OF the total re.
turned. I.tlS. or about half. are ei,he,
uninjurcd or only % per cent disabled
Those disabled from &c 10 so pcr cent
are 2,323; those disabled from 81 to -
per cent arc 92I; while those disa blcd
from IS to 100 per cent arc 1915. This
- getting the statistics OF war down
pretty fine. By taking the total mum.
per or men sent overseas by Canada
TOT a basis. 4 man going to war might
calculate by the Law of probabilitie,
exactly what the chances arc that he
VIII be partially or completely dis
ahled.
An interesting light on tho war spirit
IN Canada il shed by a table which
CLASHES the returned soldiers accord
ing 10 the land of their birth. This
shows that only I.233 Of tho 1885 sol
d'erS were native Canadians. while
'1.41S OF them were horn i'm the British
Isles. Il is well known that the native
French-Canadian is not going TO war
II he can help IL: but this table also
illustrates tho fact that tho native o,
English blood has not hurried to en-
list. IT Is the transplaned EnEliShman
VINO mas made UP more than half o,
Canada's army.
The report strongly reflects the CON
crosby with which Canada has treated
her soldiers. No soldier in tho world
has he"n 50 we'll paid, 50 a]bundautlv
supplied with tobacco and other luz
uries. SO enthusiastically sent upcn ria
"a: and received home again. as tho
canadian volunteer. The recruits have
been relatively few. and the country
young. wealthy and prospecting as \
result, OF the war.
This generous spirit is shown also
IN the way the wounded arc cared for.
Colleges and charitable institutions
nave been donated or appropriated for
use as hospitals and convalcsccn
homes; and the best European pract!c.
has been followed In the matter OF yo-
alton education for wounded sol
dicrs. The modern idea that tho con.
val"Sc"nt time should bc modc an .du.
catioHal opportunity. and tina. a hos
pltal SHOULD bc as much 4 school AS a
medical institution. has been carried out
as well ~ means would permit. In the
Guelph Military convalcsccnt Iospi,a,
az Guelph. Ontario. tho Canadian gov
has An almos; ideal plant for
the rehabilitation OF wounded and sick
soldiers in the modern manner. This
establishment was formerly n rcforma
tory. Il has Il farm of $50 acres which
IS capable Of great development. and
has also a wooden mill. machine shon