The Dominion WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1916. RECRUITING AND PENSIONS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2696, 16 February 1916, Page 4

The Dominion WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1916. RECRUITING AND PENSIONS

The conversion of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force into a separate Division will have some important consequences. It is not merely a matter of name and sentiment. It involves increased responsibility and greater effort. Our troops at the front have been reorganised. Our accumulated reinforcements have now been formed into a Third Brigade and have become a part of the Main Body. As the supply of reinforcements is in proportion to the strength of the _ Main Body, the new arrangement will ultimately necessitate an increase in the number of men which this Dominion is required t.o send periodically to the front. The; Minister op Defence states that it is nob expected that there will be need to augment the size of the four-weekly drafts that aro at present going forward. He thinks that the additional number can be obtained from the reinforcements that _ have accumulated in Egypt. Owing to the fact that the New Zealanders have not done much fighting since August last the new contingents have been more than sufficient to make up for the wastago in the Main Body. But our men toay bo in the thick of the fray again at any moment,' and* we must bo prepared to meet to the full the extra demands caused by the addi-. tion of over 4000 men to the strength of the Main Body. This new responsibility emphasises the urgency of the need of keeping the recruiting rate at the highest possible point. There must be no slackening of effort. In fact, we must do more than ever. And it must be remembered that the first rush of the more impetuous spirits is dying away. Recruits have now to bo obtained from other sections of the community—from among those who, while realising the urgency of the call, are held back by ties,and responsibilities that cannot be! ignored. The State has no right to expect these men to enlist until they have a clear understanding regarding the position of those dependent upon them. The need for .placing our pension system on a more_ equitable and satisfactory basis is becoming more urgent every day. The present condition of things is not satisfactory so far as dependents are concerned. The pension ought to be given to dependents as a matter of right. The Mayor of Wellington voiced the general sentiment of the community when he stated at the recruiting meeting -on Monday night that the people of New Zealand will not be satisfied until this principle is recognised by the Government. The pension should be regarded as a payment for services rendered to this Dominion in connection with the war, and should not be made to depend upon a man's private incomc. or the value of his property, or any other similar considerations. It has been argued that the right to a pension already exists and that the amount is fixed by the schedules of the Act; but this so-called "right" is subjcct to qualifications and conditions _ which produce a degree of uncertainty most disquieting to the man who desires to safeguard the future needs of his wife and family. For instance, in determining the rate of pension payable the 'Board has to take into consideration the property or income from all sources of the dependent a,nd of all persons liable at law for his or her maintenance. A person may have the right to a pension, but there is no certainty as to it!s amount, That may »danend u»on a vamty, of, oi?cun>

atanccs which really have nothing to do with the matter at all, amlcss the pension is "to be regarded as a charitable dole—which it is not. The schedules merely fix the maximum rates, which, of course, implies that the apiount actually granted may be less than the sum mentioned. Wo have been assured that the .Board will administer the Act in a generous spirit. But the foundation principle of the system, should be right, not generosity, and until this matter is placed on a proper footing many a man who is willing and anxious to join the colours will feel compelled to hold back. Captain Barclay, who has clone splendid work as a recruiting agent in conncction with the War League, declares that the rectification of this defect in the Act will mean thousands of recruits, and most people who have given any thought to the recruiting problem will, agree that the suggested amendment would go a long way in this direction. Another point to which the authorities' should give careful attention is the need for extra pay to married men with children. If the State finds it necessary to accept tho services of married men it must bo prepared to share the responsibility for the maintenance of their dependents. Of course these suggested improvements to the pay and pension systems must mean additional public expenditure. But no part of the Empire has felt the financial burden of war less than New Zealand. The prosperity of the country is probably greater than over. The people of New Zealand are not complaining of the cost of tho pension scheme. They are demanding that it should be' amended in the directions we havo indicated.