PLEA FOR MORE ALLOWANCES
AND BETTER PENSIONS DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS. The Second Division League interviewed the Prime .Minister (the Right Hon. W. J?. Masse;), tile Financo Minister (Sir Joseph 'Ward), and the Defence Minister (Sir James Allen) last evening regarding the Pensions Bill.and the proposed scheduled allowances, The deputation'was. introduced by Mr. T. 51. Wilford. . Mr. 'R. A. Armstrong, as did tlie speakers who. followed him, complimented the Government on the more generous proposals in tho Pensions Bill, especially those for disabled soldiers.. But there were points on which tho league still wished to ask the Government for more generous treatment. _ They asked for an increase of the age limit for pensions to female children. .Those female children were entitled t-o the protection of tho home until tliejf were of marriage age, say, 20 years. ' • Mr. E. C. List renewed the Tequest of the league for a separation allowance for tho. wife of 6s. a day, instead of 3s, a slay as proposed in. ilie Bill, and for an increase in the children's allowance from Is. to Is. 6d. a day. Tho members of the league, he said, felt that the amount of nyney a man received in pay could not he counted as money required for the' support of wife and' family. (Hear, hear.) Men wh<? had left their pay. allotted in New Zealand were iiow cabling to New Zealand to their friends for this riloney. It was found that they needed money in England and in France, arid that the'2s. a day they retained for themselves was not adequate. In tho case of the Second Division men it should be recognised that they would require "a nest egg" on their returnsomething .to start them again in their business or their work. The league did not look with much favour on the financial assistance scheme, and would very much prefer that any extra assistance be given in the way of allowances. " Mr. M'Leod spoke about differentiation in the scale Of allowances for the dependants of officers and those of private soldiers. He claimed that there should be no Buch differentiation. He wished to make an exception to this demand in favour of the dependants of the professional 6oldier, whoso dependants, it was admitted, might'be properly placed on another footing. But there should be no difference in the allowances made to dependants of other soldieis in a-citizen army, whatever their rank. They asked for ah increase in the wife's pension from .£1 10s. to ,£2 2s. per week. A Plea for Justice. Mr. Toogood made a strong appeal for justice in the treatment of men leaving this country to go to the war, and especially in the treatment of their dependants. They were not asking for charity or generosity, Tnit simply lor justice, and provision would not bo sufficient if it would not allow.a wife to maintain her home and keop her family in reasonable comfort.' They asked that their dependants be provided with medical attendance in their absence. In this they were not asking for anything that could nut be done. They had already consulted the medical auuiorities, and had been assured that what they asked for could bo done. There was another thing that perhaps would not apply to tho Second Division as a body, becajise ho bolieved fh'at in camp they would bo tho best disciplined body of men that had ever been there. (Applause.) But they did not think it right that because of tho misconduct of tho soldier, the allowances to his wife and children should be stopped. 'fh'ey objected also to very young officers being placed over them ; boys who wore now being trained in tlio "Barracks" conducted by Major Slocman at the high schools and colleges of tho country. They did not want any exceptional cakes, either. Evon if a youth were a repuled genius, ho could safely bo left until he had won his spurs on active servico. Ho also pressed for an assurance that, every Second Division man would bo allowed three nionths from the time Of medical inspection until the timo of going into camp. As to allowances, they asked that if these must be filed |
by regulations, the regulations should be submitted to the House. Defence Minister's Re[Jy. Sir James Allen said lie wished to assuio Uio Second Division men that every member of tho Government and every 1 member of Parliament Was only too anxious to do all that was possible lor tho men who were going to make great sacrifices to go to the'l'ront, and for thenwives and families left behind. He had Do doubt that tho country would shoulder tho very big: financial burdon put upon it. J-fe very anxious that every man should" feel securo:lthat whatever was provided now would never bo i reduced. With regard to female children, and tho request made for tho continuation. of the pension up to marriagei able ago, provision had already been : made in Ihe Bill to.increase the age to . sßvenluuii years, and if there was any hardship, such as chronic illness, the pension could bo continued at tho ilis- . cretion of the board for her whole life. | The question of increasing separation ;U- ---. lowances was one that would obviously ; have to go before Cabinet before any- | thing could .bo done. He did not agree, however, that men on service seeded > more money than they now wero given. • With regard to tho conservation of a business against a m.ui's return, tho ' Government had endeavoured lo do some--1 tiling) but the problem «;as oiio of great 1 complexity. Something had been done : to keep farms going, but that was an easier matter. Tho object of the financial assistance scheme was to enable a wife' to keep tho homo going: ft was > established for that very purpose. ; A reservist: We feel that very few i will benefit by it. l The Minister said that in the centres i men would bo assisted . greatly, by tho payment, of rent or interest; on mortgages. The suggestion had bei'iuiiado that there should bo no differentiation in tho scale of pensions for officers ahd men. Did they wish the Government to break . faith with these officers? There was a differentiation between our officers and men, but it was smaller than in any army in the world. The fact was that i it would bB a. breach of faith with these officers to alter this now. 111 - . Armstrong: Could not our proposal apply to the soldiers of the future? Sir James Allen Ha id lie thought it was fair that a man who led (ihonld be paid more, and that his wife should receive more, because that was part of tho pay. A voice: What about the wife? She doesn't lead! The Basis of Pensions. The Minister said on (he general question of the scale of pensions that tba scheme must be dra.wn up on some basis, and it must not be on .the basis of tfce highly-puid man's earnings, b]it on the basis of the earnings of the average working man, of which the bulk of tho Force consisted. So far as that man was concerned. ho was being put on a. better footing than befofe tho war. Voices: No. . The Minister: It is no use saying. "No," beoau'se I know, facts ore facts, and from instances absolutely taken from our records I know this t the present scheme puts a very large percentage of tho w ; orking men ufon a better basis than before the war. 1 I A voice: Nonsense! • . - As to tho demand for medical attention, they did not appear to appreciate the advantages of the Financial Assist* aiice Board. Something would.be done 1 with regard to maternity cases and chronic invalids, and the Government liad had under consideration, thei question of whether it was possible to make some arrangement with, the British Medical Association regarding medical attendance on the soldier's family during his absence. (Loud applause.) _ It ; had not been decided yet on what lines 1 this scheme could be carried out. Tho question of the stoppage of allowances to ■ the family of a soldier who had been guilty Of misconduct had been under consideration, but he had been too busy with pensions ahd other matters to deal with it. He would shortly be prepared to submit to Cabinet proposals on lie subject. The man must suffer—(Hear, hear)—but he agreed that it was a fair -thidj? to consider whether, the punishment should .extend to his wife and children! (Hear, hear.) Boy Officers. Sir James assured 111 - . Toogood that there was no idea of appointing youths fresh from school to officers' positions. This had never been done. Mr. Toogood: I have a. case in mind. Mr. Massey: Now, let us have this out. It is bettor to. have it declared openlythan toy innuendo.- Give us the name. Mr. Toogood said . that it was Very unfair to ask him to lampoon a man publicly. Ho knew of an officer who had. celebrated his uveuty-firat birthday at Featherston, and also of a youth of nineteen who had been given a commission. ■The Minister said that, there was no idea of getting officers from the schools where barracks had l.een conducted. This wns not at all tho purpose of tho barracks. Tliree Months' Notice. The Prime Minister lad given an assurance, and lie'himself/bad given an assurance, that everything possible would be done to give the three months' notice asked for after medical examination. If extra medical officers could be obtained the medical examination . of a draft should be coinpleto in a-fortnight after tho ballot. Under existing conditionsit could be completed in a month. As far as lie cotild sec, every man would have threo months, but . he coukl Jiot give the promise absolutely. _ Every endeavour would bo made to give tho men three months' notice, mid ho had every reason to hope that it could be given. But there might be circumstances which would require him to 6end men away earlier. On the contrary, there' was a possibility of a still further reduction in reinforcements, in which caso_ there would be no difficulty in allowing the Second Division League tho full 'three months' notice after medical examination. He was asked to fix the allowances by statute. He would suggest that they should leave them to be fixed by Regulation or Army Order, in their own interests. He would give positive assurance ' that after the Arnly Order was made the allowances would iiot be reduced. Any change would be to increase them. If they were to be made statutory ho could not increase lliem. Tho Financial Burden. Sir Joseph Ward spoke of the financial .burden of the war, saying that this was alwnys the consideration limiting the proposals of the Government. The great difficulty was the uncertainty of the financial position. So serious was - this matter that he thought tho House should accept the final proposals of the Government, "becnuso they would represent all that tho Government could do. The Government should not be forced at the point of the bayonet to do more,- lest they might bring about a condition of insecurity from which all would suffer. The Prime Minister said that the Bill represented a considerable improvement, although it was not yet perfect. He could remember a time when there was nn agitation about thirty years ago for the abolition of all State pensions. He did not ever want to see a similar agitation against, war pensions, and ho hoped it would never c'onie. Tie also hoped that the Second Division men might never havo to leave this country. If they did, lie was sure tliiit they wouid give a good account of themselves, and 1 do their duty, and tho Government and Parliament would do their duty by their dependants.
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Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 3, 28 September 1917, Page 7
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1,967PLEA FOR MORE ALLOWANCES Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 3, 28 September 1917, Page 7
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