NEGLECTED VETERANS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 919, 12 September 1910, Page 8

NEGLECTED VETERANS.

/Sir —livreference to the petition now before' the House from-a largo number, of 'veterans praying that tho ment should grant them a;special military pension irrespective ./of; whether some .of them'/could, claim •'undor' tho Old Ago Pension Act, 1 understand that during.. a-' discussion in the Horise Sir Joseph; '.Ward" stated that the cost to; the country \vould be.so- great that'it Would' bci impossible for the Government to consider it,: that, there were over 4000 war medals, granted to old soldiers -in the Dominion. -I would point out /that after forty years there ■ could not ;be many survivors,' possibly; at the most 500. :Thero was-a lacgo gathering,of veterans in Wellington a few months ago from-all tho districts between Wellington and New Plymouth, and;l think, in' all they.mustered something under.2oo/ There would probably bo •something under 600; allowing for those who left the. Dominion and have gone to other States; even if there were 1000 the sum would not be .so great, considering: the, services .. these men rendered, and ■; it must be remembered that it would grow, , less every year.':- , ■. '.:,;• "' ■

. ■:I ..have read, with with .much interest a letter 'from Mr. Thomas Adanison,N.Z.0., in your paper of yesterday's date. ,1 can myself testify to the truth, of Mr. -Adamson's statements. I was present in tho engagement where ho' was wounded, - and in many others with him in'different parts of the Bast and' West Coasts: of. the Dominion. I recollect, on the West Coast when ho and Sergeant Maling, N.Z.C. of the Scouts, and two other -Scouts-wont' ahead of the troops under Colonel, Whitmore from Woreroa, and were four days, in the bush reconnoiterihg the' enemy's position. Maling and Adamson went barefooted. I cannot, l'omombor at this time, who the other two were, but I think Mr. Powell now of Hokianga was one. I romombor their return to ca.mp and Colonel Whitmore thanking them' for tho ' services that 'they rendered. Both Maling and Adamson were afterwards awarded tho Now Zealand Cross for different services. Thoy were recommended for the distinction by their commanding officer. They did not ask for it or tout"to Mcmbors of Parliament to bring their names under the notice of the Government. ■ •

The petition, of these menis not an unreasonable one, and there is a n-ood precedent for it in tlio case of tho India)! Mutiny peusiofl, whioh is a special

pension granted by the Indian Government to. all troops actually engaged in /the field during the Indian Mutiny, irrespective of whether they havo other pensions from the Imperial Government. It would bo a proper thing for the good of this Dominion to recognise the services of these old soldiers, whether Imperial or Colonial, by granting them a military pension for the few remaining years of their lives. Most of them havo noarly reached the allotted space of three scoro'years' and -ten. There nead bo no special Act, a short clause added to the present Military Pensions Act would; be all that' is required.—l am, etc.j • . .1 .-• AN BAST AND WEST COAST ; VETERAN..- • "Wanganni,; September 9, 1910. •