VETERANS AND THEIR PENSIONS

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 959, 28 October 1910, Page 4

VETERANS AND THEIR PENSIONS

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"DAMNED" BY CABINET.

The rights and prerogatives of the Prime Minister of Now Zealand and his Cabinet wcro tho subject of some criticism at the annual meeting of tho Boyal Now Zealand Association of his Majesty's Veterans yesterday, during a discussion on the f ato of the association's petition to the Government that a Maori war pension of 10s. per week be granted to veterans in lieu of'the old age pension. Cabinet had decided that it was impossible to give effect to. the suggestion. Whether Cabinet was justified in dealing summarily with this matter without reference to Parliament was, considered several of tho delegates, a moot point. The Vetoraus' Association had originally intended that its petition should reach "Parliament assembled," and tile action of Cabinet in deciding the question on its own initiative had frustrated that intention. As one of the delegates expressed it, Cabinet had damned their chances before the petition had even been submitted to Parliament. Many members of tho House, it was stated, were favourable to the proposal of the petitioners. "Wo should have put our petition in the hands of the Leader of tho Opposition," observed one of tho delegates, regretfully. "What?" exclaimed another. "Hand it to the Opposition! We might, as :itoll commit suicide at once!"

Finally it was agreed that thero was nothing more to be done. Tho association had done all it could to obtain tho pension, and had failed. ,"" . In connection with tho matter of certain applications for tho New Zealand war medal, it was resolved, "That it is not the wish of tho delegates to extend the time (1870) to enable certain applicants to get the New Zealand war medal." . ■ . . • ■■■':■■■■