" PENSIONS BY RIGHT "

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2700, 21 February 1916, Page 5

" PENSIONS BY RIGHT "

— « CONTROVERSIAL QUESTION VENTILATED DEPUTATION TO DEFENCE MINISTERThe question of "pensions by right" was argued at some length by the Mayor of Weljington (Mr. Luke) and the Doienco Minister (Mr. 'Allen) during an interview which took place 011 Saturday between the Wellington Recruiting Committee and the Minister. Mr. Luke contended strongly that the country had 110 right to withhold pensions from the dependents of soldiers' who lose their lives, whatever the circumstances of those dependents might be'. Until this reform, to give pensions by right, was assured, recruiting would 1 never progress satisfactorily among men with dependents. Dr. Newman supported Mr. Luke, and both were quite unconvinced by Mr. Allen's statement of t'he case, which follows:— "I want to remove a misapprehension which seems to exist in the public mind about this question," said Mr. Allen. "A-soldier, 111 my opinion, has absolutely a pension by right now. A dependent has a. pension by right now under certain conditions. There can be no doubt about it, that t'he soldier'gets his pension now by right. The only thing the Pensions Board does is to say what is the nature of a. man's disablement, and this must be a matter for inquiry. A man totally disabled is by law entitled .to a full pension. A man half disabled usually gets about half the full pension. Wo could.have put into the Act, as has been put into some other Tensions Acts, a schedule to say that such and such a disablement shall entitle a man to such and suoh a pension, but I think our soldiers will be better off as things are now than under a hard aud fast rule. I have examined carefully the Canadian scheme and other schemes, and I have come to the conclusion that in the interests of soldiers it is better no); to tie them down to hard and fast-rules.

. _ . . As to the complaint that pensions to dependents are reduced on account of their means. I can say that no reductions are made now except in cases of considerable incomes. I have already quoted to the public tie case of a widow who applied l for a pension who had in her own right property worth £25,000. I didn't deal with the case myself, but J don't think it would be right to give her a pension.

"Moat Liberal Act in the World." , ' "It is true that the right of dependents to pensions is limited by the fact that proof of dependency has to be shown, and this proof of the extent of dependency is fixed by law as the amount of contributions a man made to his mother, father, sister, or whoever it may be during the year , previous to bis service. The board in interpreting this'are considering this pjiase of the question: .If a man has been living at home ;and contributing to the support of the home a comparatively small amount is charged for board, and the rest is allowed as 0 contribution to dependents. ' I think a fairly reasonable interpretation has been placed by the board on this class of dependency. Where a father or a mother has got up in years we have wiped away all stipulations about dependencyand tho board now is-con-stantly giving pensions to mothers and fathers of a certain age, even although the soldiers have never 'contributed 'a x halfpenny to them. I know that ours is the most liberal Pensions,-Act in' the world." . " Mr. Luke and Dr. Newman both dissented from the Minister's view, and repeated the demand for, pensions to dependents as of. right. Mr.'''Allen replied that pensions to widows of soldiers were due absolutely. of right ,iiow. No deductions were being made ill the pensions allowed bccause 01*11 eans possess- » ed by the widow unless the widow had a very considerable income. In such cases,'- he thought, as Parliament had thought, that the ' pension to wealthy relatives of soldiers should be withheld or reduced in order that more money might be available to.'provide for those in more need of help. As to-the pensions payable to other dependents, so much depended on what was meant by dependents. Up to "a certain point'dependents couldi olaim pensions by right now, and pensions had even been given to persons who were not dependents at all.