SOLDIERS' PENSIONS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2696, 16 February 1916, Page 6

SOLDIERS' PENSIONS

PROVISIONS OF THE ACT

QUESTION OF AMENDMENT

STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS

The Prime Ministor (the Eight Hon. W. F. Massey) and the Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. Allen) both commented yesterday on the subject of the pensions and allowances paid to soldiers and their dependents. As reported yesterday, a resolution was adopted at the recruiting meeting held at the Town Hall on Monday night to ask that aji absolute declaration should be given by the Government that pensions should go by right. In the coiirse'of somo discussion, Captain Barclay, who is in charge of tho. recruiting oflico in the Town Hall, said ttiat if pensions wore ;giveh". by'.'right,, many men-would come forward who at present were prevented by their duty to their dependents-from doing so. -This ho could say from, his daily observations. ' Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P.,- said that it would be an undoubted incentive to recruiting if men knew that those whom they bad been supporting would, in tho event of their non-return, obtain, _ without question and difficulty, sufficient to keep them. Captain Barclay supported this view. If a pension was by right a soldier's, it should equally be by right his dependents'. A soldier going to the front should be relieved of all doubt on this point. It would mean thousands of recruits to them if this inconsistency oould be rectified. The Mayor declared that the people of Now Zealand would not be satisfied until there was a pension bestowed by rijftt.

Intentions of the Government. The Prime Minister made the following statement to a reporter yesterday afternoon:— "In cases of total incapacity, from the private to the general, the pension is provided by Act of Parliament, and goes as a right to the soldier. But in cases of partial incapacity, where the soldier may be able to attend to his business or earn a .certain amount of money the Pensions XSoard may take such lacta into consideration. _ Now, with regard to the dcidier's info. A pension is not provided by right for tho wife becauso tho Pensions Board may reduce the pensions where the wife is possessed of an income cr property. Whether rightly or _ wrongly, that was agreed to by Parliament without a single objection by any member of tbo House, t may say this is cue point which will be taken into consideration when the amendment of the Pensions Act is submitted to Parliament.

Iho .view ]ms been expressed to mo that although the Act in Australia fixes the amount of the [Kinsions for the widow, tho average amount allowed by the Pensions Board in* New Zealand exceeds the fixed amount in Australia. 'J bat statement has been made to mo and 1 believe it to 'be correct." Mr. Massey quoted from a correspondence file extracts from letters showing that men who went from New Zealand to Australia to enlist had done so under a- misapprehension as to the relative advantages offered by the two countries. ' 'They went to Australia," said the. Prime Minister, "because they thought that the Pensions Act in tho Commonwealth was more liberal than ours. One of these men. lias written to his friends were stating 'that ho was very sorry ho had. enlisted in Australia because he found in some important respects he liad -been under a misapprehension ; and that if he got the opportunity he would go back to enlist in the country to whioh ho belonged. "I can give this assurance—the Government and Parliament of New Zealand aro not going to be behind the other countries of the Empire in their treatment of tho soldiers. We realise the sacrifices that aro being made by the. men who are fighting for us on the other side of the world, and we are going to do tho right thing for them and their dependents. All that we are anxious to do fs to make such provision as will stand a depression if it comes along in a few years."

Separation Allowances. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. Allen) said that while the figures with respect to separation allowances might tell against New Zealand' in a comparison with other countries, New Zealand had tli© more liberal scale of pensions. They had advisably decided to make this better provision with regard to pensions rather than pay the higher standard of separation allowance. Tho .Government had followed the course of attempting to gain recruits from the unmarried ranks. They wantod tho unmarried men first—tho men without dependents. Of course they did not want to _ see men getting married with tho object of providing themselves with an excuse for not enlisting.