MILITARY PENSIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1651, 18 January 1913, Page 6

MILITARY PENSIONS.

COMPLAINTS AND TEE RETURN. '■'■':...

Some complaints have lately been forwarded to the Pensions Department about delay in dealing with ; applications for military, pensions. The complaints were brought by the Department .under the notiqe of the Minister in charge (ths Hon. F. 31. B. Fisher), and he has obtained a report from tho area officer, who represents tho Pensions Department in ' the district concerned. Tho roport states, amongst other things, that delays have unavoidably occurred owing to tho necessity of making inouirics into the bonafides of applicants for pensions. , In some cases, the report states, the. applicants seem incarjablo. of answering simple questions,'arid on occasions it. is practically impossible- to .find out with absolute certainty whether an applicant is correct in his statements or not. No tim* is wasted unnecessarily in dealing with applications. •■.-.' . Tho latest return in connection with tho issue of military- pensions is as follows: —Total applications received, 700: pensions granted., 357: applications rejected, 80: completed claims, 530. has been previously stated, a "comp'.cted claim" dees not entitle an annlicant to a pension until necessary inquiries have- been made.