A BRIGHT OUTLOOK.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 876, 23 July 1910, Page 10

A BRIGHT OUTLOOK.

Sir,—The Right. Hon. Sir Joseph Ward told us in his policy speech a few weeks ago that the wave of depression had passed, and that thero is no need for further retrenchment. . I wonder doos Sir Joseph expect us to beliovo this, or does he believe it himself, when ho knows perfectly well that thore are many thousands of Now Zealanders who believe" otherwise, and aro leaving the land of their birth because they havo no longer any confidence in this great self-advertising Government P Lot us seo how far this promise of no further retrenchment is borne out. I have just received a letter from an old Crimean and Indian Mutiny veteran, aged 75, who is in recoipt of au Imperial'pension of Is. per day, and lias for the last twelve months received six or seven shillings per week as an old age pensioner. This would make his total inconiq, say, I4s. per week (Uo has no other). '- Well, this bravo'old soldier tells mo that his_ old ago pension is to be taken from him at the end of tho year (one mbro month), because, with the two pensions, his income is Lonsidered to bo too great. While- tho Right Hon. Prime Minister has no objection to pile on another £9,000,000 in one year for his great defence scheme,, for £500,000 a year for defeuco capitalised represents £7,000,000 and tho Dreadnought £2,000,000, ho has brought this country to such a state that it oannot afford to giro its wornout heroes enough to keep .body and soul together. -I expect to rcceivo another letter together with correspondence on the subject from the old geutleinan in tho course of a, few days, and will bo pleased if you will look over them so as'to satisfy yourself and your readers that tliero is nothing bogus about it. —1 am, etc., ■ J.B.