SOLDIERS' PENSIONS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2370, 28 January 1915, Page 6

SOLDIERS' PENSIONS

STATEMENT BY HON. J; ALLEN RECRUITING SATISFACTORY ' - (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Dunedin, January 27. The Hon. J. Allon, Minister of Defence, met the committee of the Patriotic and General Welfare Association this morning and explained many matters which have caused some heart-burn-ings. The Minister said t'hafc it was his duty to his predecessors in office to say that New Zealand again had been in the forefront in legislation intended to meet just such a crisis as had occurred. He had replied before to statements that the legislation for pensions was not liberal enough by stating that it was impossible to come to a definite conclusion without careful examination of the New Zealand statutes and the provision made in England, Australia, and perhaps Canada, one anomaly in the Act was that the provision for the widows and children of those who died later from disease incurred in the service of the country was not to liberal as the provision for widows and children of those who died on the field or later from wounds. As a general proposition it was the duty of a Government to make provision and proper provision for the widows and children of men who were killed at the front or died from disease contracted at the front. (Applause.) Nevertheless, it would bo wrong for the public to imagine that the provision named in the schedules of the Act was the only provision. The Minister of Defence hat! the power in addition to the pension to pay a lump sum down of a full year's pay and further to pay to every child one-third of a full year's pay. He was not able to say at the moment how far that would make the pension adequate. It might be sufficient to increase the annual pension to the sum provided in the Australian Act. While it was true that this Act provided a pension of £52, thSt sum was the maximum and the actual pension, that or less, was assessed by i Pensions Board. Moreover, in to which, children would receivo a pension was fixed at 16 years for a boy and' girl alike. In New Zealand the Act was more liberal. Sons might receive to the age of 18 years, and girls to the age of 21 years, and if they were infirm there was no limit, at all. The Act was more liberal, if the sum was less. He did not say that the sum was sufficient, but as to what must be done he could say no more nnf.il he had consulted his colleagues. The Minister proceeded to quote instances of admirable exhibitions of patriotism, which, however, had caused overlapping and waste of energy and money. The Government considered it their duty to provide motor ambulances, and he had ordered 14 at a cost of £7000. That was the number he was advised were necessary, but some patriotic people in one part of New Zealand, without eaying anything to the Department raised a fund of £3800 for such ambulances. When this sum had beon raised and two motors actually ordered they communicated with him. He wrote that the motors deemed necessary had already been ordered, and that be would be glad to use the money to pay for some of them, marking tho motors so paid for as the gift of the district. They replied that they oould not allow him, to do that._ Now they had placed tho money at bis disposal on condition that he bought six more motors and used the rest for running expenses. He would have liked that £3800 for the expenses of the cars ordered, and deemed sufficient, or for use in some other field. He would _ therefore ask all organisations and individuals before buying anything or raising money for a particular purpose to communicate with tho Department

So far as the Defence Department was concerned the recruiting had been highly satisfactory throughout New Zealand. He would like peoplo to understand that they had all they wanted for the time being, and though they welcomed and would bo grateful for further enrolments, it was not possible, with any " hope of success, to .take more into oamp at present. The Government had organised the whole scheme, and cards wonld be issued in a few days for the registration of those, prepared to go, hut in the meantime Ftiey wanted these men to stop at work until the time they were called. The first _ step now was registration and nothing else. Each wo3d be asked to let tho Department know what notice he had to give his employer, and would be advised in time to give such notice. He did not wish to interfere with. the committees, but the request had been made to him that the Department should pay for the cost of advertising, pesters, and travelling expenses to recruiting meetings. He had not the slightest objection to paying on condition that he had some control over these expenses. He could not allow indiscriminate expenditure to take place. The Government was also perfectly willing to pay for advertising if any method could be suggested by which the Government would be able to control the advertising, bnt he was not prepared to give a blank order for advertising. What he wonld like committees to do was to take out of his hands the matter of advertising, arid make it a patriotic movement in each district, and he had the same thing to say about travelling expenses. He was willing to pay, but could not commit tho Government to an expenditure over which they had' no control.

In answer to a suggestion that the allotment to'dependents should be paid as soon as the men went into camp, tho Minister replied that though- he was willing to reconsider tho question, the idea was that tbe recruit was on probation for the first month, 1 and might be sent home, and tho Department left tho man to make his own allotment for th« first month. Mr. Allen was heartily thanked for his informative address.