WAR AMPUTEES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 3, 11 September 1942, Page 5

WAR AMPUTEES

NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION

Rehabilitation, pensions and arHficial limbs Avere the principal subjects discussed at the third annual conference of delegates of the New Zealand War Amputees' Association in Wellington recently.

In welcoming delegates, the president of the Association, Mr F. C. Allerby (Wellington), said that in looking back they could feel that the formation of an amputees' association had been well justified.. After the Great. War, limbless men had had to go up many blind alleys before they had arrived at the position they were in to-day, and they wished to place at the disposal of limbless men from the present war the experience they had gained. They felt that there' should be some increase in the disability pension, as limbless men felt a little sore that after going back into civil life they were only able to earn about 10s a week more than if they had done nothing but simply drawn the pension. After some discussion the following remits were approved:— That the total disability pension of £2 a week be raised to £4 a w«ek. That any amputee pensioner on an economic pension should be allowed to earn up to> £52' a year without any deduction from his economic pension. The lodge and sick benefits should not be assessable as income for economic pension benefits. That war pensioner amputee wage earners be exempt from social security taxes. A remit was carried to the effect that amputee pensioners engaged in the Government servive be given the right to retire at 35 years' service or 55 years of age, to be based on salary drawn at time of retirement on a 40-C0 basis.