The Dominion FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1915. THE WAR PENSIONS BILL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2509, 9 July 1915, Page 4

The Dominion FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1915. THE WAR PENSIONS BILL

_ The War Pensions Bill, which was introduced by tho Minister op Defence in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, show's that tho Government has determined to with this highly important matter in a broad and just manner, -llio proposals contained in the Bill should meet with general approval. Ihe pensions are framed on a gen®r°llS but' not .too _ generous—scale. ih ey aro far more liberal than those provided for in the Defence Act of 1909, and are even higher than tho Australian scale. The people of New Zealand will not tolerate a parsimonious, policy in regard to the Dravs men. who are now risking their lives in fighting our battles in Gallipoli, and the Government has proved that it has rightly read the mind of tho public. The payment of pensions on the scale set out in the Bill will probably-mean a considerable addi- ' tion to the financial burden of the Dominion, but wc all realise that this is part of the price of our liberties and are fully prepared to pav it. If is satisfactory to find that the Cabinet has not succumbed to the temptation to relievo the pressure on the taxpayer by asking Parliament to agree to the doling out of miserable pittances to our wounded soldiers and the dependents of those who may lose their lives in this great struggle now proceoiing. A glartce at the following tabic, giving the pensions to be paid to the widows of the men who are killed, -will show that the Now Zealand scale is higher than that which has been fixed by the Commonwealth Parliament:

New Zealand. Australian, per week, per week. . ' ; &s. d. £sid. " Private 15 0 10 0 Corporal ....... 160 160 Sergeant ......... 17 o'' 170/ Lieutenant .... 2 0 0 114 0 Mr. Allen's Bill also provides for the payment of five shillings a week for each child, with a maximum aggregate pension, in the case of a private, of £3 a week. The Australian Act makes a similar grant for each child. Practically the same scale ifc adopted in the case of men who may be permanently disabled, but in addition an allowance is made their wives and .dependents. ■ ■ Taken as a whole the Bill appears to be. a businesslike and well-thought-out measure, though it may require modification in" .certain matters' of detail. Clause 3, for instance, contains a provision: whirh might cause a good ; deal of hardship and injustice if < rigidly enforced. It makes the payment of a pension on the death of disablement of a mem-' ,ber of the forcea subjeet to the condition that death or disablement has resulted from his employment at any time subsequent to his departure from JY ew Zealand. Supposing a soldier meets with a fatal accident in the performance of his duty during his period.of training at Trentham—should not those dependent upon him reccive a pension as they would do if the accident occurred on board a troopship, or if he were killed at the front 1 The intention of the Government on this point is not quite clear,-, for Sub-Section ;4 of Clause 5 states that as regards the ■payment of pensions, "officers shall be deemed to become members of the forces on the date, of their first appointment thereto, and non-commis-sioned^officers and men on the date of taking the Oath of Allegiance, or of leaving New Zealand as members of the Forces whichever first happens." This is not consistent with the condition mentioned- in Clause 3. The point is a rather important one, and requires explanation. The State ought _to bo protected ' against the ,'possibility of imposition by men who may desire to secure a pension without having any real intention of going to the front, but e? re must be taken to _ prevent injustice to gen-, uine soldiers. Special attention has rightly been paid to the claims of wives and children, and they arc given precedence over all other dependents. A widow's pension ceases on her but she may then be given a .gratuity not exceeding two years' pension. Another clause gives the War Pensions Board power to give extra assistance to female and defective'children and to grant pensions to nurses if, having regard to the einimstances of the case, it is of opinion that financial help should be given. These provisions are just and reasonable. The Bill is one of-the most important measures to be discussed this session, and is sure to' receive very close attention in Committee. Every care should be taken to make it a smooth-working measure that will effectively safeguard the interests both of the State and of the pensioners, beforo it is finally placed on the Statute Book.