VETERANS AND PENSIONS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 879, 27 July 1910, Page 5

VETERANS AND PENSIONS.

0 — PRIME MINISTER AND PETITION. AGAIN ATTACKS "THE DOMINION." In yesterday's issue attention was directed to a complaint of the New Zealand Veterans' Association regarding a petition handed to the Prime Minister for presentation to Parliament. The Veterans had received a reply from Sir Joseph Ward which led them to believe that Cabinet had decided against them without the' petition having been submitted to Parliament. Our information on the subject was based on articles in tho "Wanganui Chronicle," Hastings "Standard," and "Hawke's Bay Herald"; resolutions passed at meetings of the Taranaki and Wanganui branches of the Veterans' Association, and on statements embodied in private letters—all confirmatory of the opinion that the petition had not been presented to Parliament, and protesting against the decision of the Government in refusing the request of the Veterans.' We definitely stated that we did not believe that the Prime Minister had kept back the petition as complained of with any ulterior motive. AVe attributed it entirely to a misunderstanding on his part. Sir Joseph Ward, however, seized the occasion yesterday to belabour the paper in quite characteristic style. The statement published by it, ho said, was absolutely contrary to fact. He was surprised that Mr. Poland should ask him n question on anything published in The Dominion—a paper which he said constantly misrepresented matters and had to swallow its statements. The statement that he had not presented tho petition was absolutely untrue, and the article in question was based on that untruthful statement. As a matter of fact the petition was presented by him ill November last; but it was too late in the session to be reported on last session. In January last a letter had como before Cabinet, but it was decided that no action should .be taken until Parliament had dealt with' the matter. The petition was among those petitions in regard to which a - motion had been passed that they should he reported upon this session.

■n ls - to have drawn from the Prime Minister a defence undertaking that the petition of the Veterans will come up for consideration by the Hou=e this session. It would appear to be entirely his own fault-that thte Veterans have been in ignorance of the presentation of tho petition to Parliament, for they have apparently received no word of it being before the House from that day _to this. All they knew was that Cabinet had refused their request. . Hero is the statement of Colonel Newall, Dominion vice-president of the Veterans' Association, on the subject: "Colonel Porter and myself waited upon Sir Joseph Ward last session and handed him the petition from the Veterans, asking for military grants of 10s. per week in lieu of pensions under the Old Age Pensions Act. He received the deputation sympathetically and said he would do his best in the matter. Since then £ h ? secretary of the association, Mr. Stidolph, has received an intimation trom the Prime Minister's office that it had been laid before Cabinet and that they could not see their wav to give effect to it. Since then, however, it is understood that the petition has been placed in, the hands of the Speaker, to whom it was addressed 'in the first place. It is hoped that Parliament may see fit to grant the request when it comes before it."

-Colonel New-all no doubt, like the rest of tne Veterans, was under the belief that the .petition had not been presented to Parliament. No record of it appeared in the press and none in Hansard. The meetings held and the resolutions passed have been the outcome of tho failure to notify (he association of tho action taken. Instead of abusing The Dominion for publishing tho grievances of tho Veterans. Sir Joseph Ward should direct his attention to the weaknesses in his own Department which have permitted tho Veterans to be kept in ignorance for so long of a matter of so much importance to them. .-The attention which has now been directed to the subject -should assist the old soldiers to receive that measure of consideration which they are asking for in their petition. " "■