RETIRED PAY TO DISABLED OFFICERS.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 78, 27 December 1918, Page 7

RETIRED PAY TO DISABLED OFFICERS.

'. .J '' Retired Par-on Account- of Disablement. . 3^ '«►. a '<?■_ a s * ■ °=." jf? 1 - Officers not holding permanent Commissions = • gJS .«a2 "" in Regular Forces. '' . §5.23 fo- 9 S-S : Captain, g C.jj Major-Brigadier- ' Lieut, or Oa = « General. General. Colonel. Lt.-Col. .Major. . 2nd Lt. All li.inU

Officers holding permanent commissions in tho regular Anny to receivo in addition to what they are entitled to for disability under the pay warrant of 1914, an allownpco varying with tho degree, of their disablement (see note to schedule 11)fl'lie same pension to be awarded whether disability was'caused by service or. only aggravated by it. In New Zealand the amount of pension awarded may be based upon aggravation of a pre-service-complaint. Provision is made for an officer becoming disabled after the war by. service-in the war. Rank to reckon in cases'of .disease no less than, in cases of_ wounds ,®r injuries. Officers totally blinded in action shall receive pension and retired 'jiav together amounting to not less than v£3CO per annum. Under schedule .2, "War Pensions Amendment, 1917, N.Z. Tato3 are 100 per cent, maximum pension (second lieutenant, etc.,' as per grade of rank), .£2 2s. 6d. per week or .£llO 10s. per annum, or' 37 per cent, of the British pension which is irrespective of rank.

The British officer on retired nay and ■sof small means may be granted education allowances for each child over the ngo of 9, to a maximum of ,£SO for each child. There is no such provision •in the New Zealand Acts. Under the New Zealand Acts a special allowance of ..£1 per week may be granted (with a maximum of ,£5- per week to alt persons receiving a pension in respect of the ■'disablement of the soldierl to enable him to maintain himself and dependants at prewar standard of comfort. Under the •British Act an officer earning .f'3oo in civil life shall receive upon application the difference between that sum, and th» total amount of his retired nay,- wound ■nension, and earnine capacity, and if liis pre-service earnings excelled .£3OO lint: were not more t l,! n .Of!OJl nl f the 'difference between .£3OO and .££oo "er ■annum, shall also be naid hi'i. This fs unite new in B'*itn ; n,. and .'has no iinn'ogy in New Zealand. ' The invab'd attendant's allowanp" i" Ken- Ze»lnnd >s £1 uer week, in Great P-'tnin it is 305.. iner week. _ Provision is made in Hie British Act for pavmenf of a gratuity not exceeding r >QO when th* decree (if disablement does Jiot exceed 2fl ner ne"t.—there is no ,'pr>" : "alent in New Zealand. W'ere an office" is mil- o! j-flio Army foi- ino'Hcal unfitness which i" iJieithw attribnta'hlp to. nor awravatwl Hn-, militn-V -spT-'no. ■> prntllit" -nmv !)?■ tpranfpd him. which in pvcpnt'nial ■ circumstance? mnv amount to .-P.wo—nrpvijdus regulations limiM the '.'rant fn tV»e jl)io n ths' pay. and did not inelnde d'si abilities c"'ifr , " , tpd Vnrp c'eni!" the iflprviip. The Ne<«- Zealand officer is not '.entitled to such benefit.

Relatives, No alteration is effected in the pay irawit.of 19H—making the pensions to officer's relatives a reward for the oflieers' services ainl 'dependent upon their own worthiness; but the existing: scheme of three grades of widows' uensions, the '''highest." "intermediate," and the '"ordinary" is retained, but the eases coming into the several categories are'regrouped, and certain kinds of cases aTe thereby raised to a higher scale, for instance, where an officer dies of illness .due. to fatigue, starvation, or exposure incident to active operations in the. field, •or from injuries received in the perjformahce of military duty, his widow will in future receive the "highest" instead of the "intermediate" rate; and •where death was due to disease aggravated by service or caused by injuries iittrilmtnble to service,(not: coming within the above terms, she will receive the "intermediate" instead of the "ordinary"

rate or ft gratuity; the rates for tho different ranks ot general officers have also been regraded; cases of aggravation in future Will be qualified for ' highest or "intermediate" pensions. The main provisions in Britain, tor tho dependants of a deceased officer arc: Widows, A pension niay be. awarded to the widow oi a deceased ..officer equal to the amount which would have been granted to him had- ho lost all earning capacity; ' the maximum pension she would then receive' would be .£225 per annum. .The widow of a disabled officer, who hiis been in receipt ot a disablement pension of not' less than ',£7O, may be allowed, under proper safeguard that will prevent an abuse of the indulgence, onehalf of. his pension—this is n new provision. , 'Where death is not attributable to or aggravated by military service, the widow may receive a gratuity of not less than one, and not more than three, years'pay of the appointment held bv the officer, provided the officer dies whilst on full pav, ..or durine the war after removal from full pay from the iuiurv or disease from which lie -was removed from full pay, or some closely connected disease, and there is a continuous medical his■torv of sickness, and provided slip is disqualified from an ordinary pension, only through the insufficiency of the offinnr'fi service.

The amount of gratuitv is at the discretion of the Minister of Pensions, and may be nnid in a lumn sum or in instalments as he may determine. A. similar grant may lie made to motherless children , up/ler such condition" as the Minister of Pensions may determine. Cleims from widows are dealt with by schedule peoordine to the. rank of the dpceisprl officer, and under two headings (al death bv wounds or illness contracted in the field; '(b) or resultant unon militnrv services rendered other fl )rir i specified under (a) as set out ir. the following explanatory reference to schedule B;-'

Column t—Hank of officer. Column 2.—Pensions payable to officers' widows; these are" payable even though the officer may not die within a period not exceeding seven years from the date his wounds or injuries were received- .. . : Column ,I—Pensions payable if the officer dies of disease attributable to., or aggravated by. military service, within seven years after having been removed from duty on account of such disease, or as the result of injuries attributable to military service- other than as 'provided for in column 2. Column -t.—(l fatuities to officers' widows, in addition to the pension; if tho officer dies as the direct result of ■military-services, even though his death may occur within a period not exceeding seven years from the time he sustained liis injuries. Column s—The widow of nn officer awarded a pension a.s per column 2 may lie granted a further allowance as in the fifth column of schedule B; and a widow awarded a pension as per column ,1 may be granted a further allowance as in the sixth column of schedule B, in both cases, for each child maintained by her; and the allowance, may be granted or continued up to the age of 18 in the case of sons and up to the age of 21 in the caso of daughters (unless the child is otherwise provided for, or marries, or in tho case of a son, he is nn apprentj.ee receiving not more than nominal wages, or is being educated at a secondary school, technical institution, or a university; until he passes the ago of 18; or in special circumstances, such as mental or bodily infirmity, tho allowance may_be

■ Other Relatives, Pensions to relatives may be granted only if— . (1) The officer dies os a direct result of wounds received in action; or disease 'attributable, or aggravated by -military service; or is certified as directly traceable to fatigue; privation, or exposure incident to operations-in the field, within seven.years of having been removed from (iutv on account of such illness. (i) It. shall bo granted or continued only, if. the pecuniary or other circumstances of the relatives "arc such, as in the opinion of the Minister of Pensions justifies the award; lior is the amount to exceed the pension which would have been awarded io tho officer's widow under columns 2 and !i of Schedule B. (3) It shall ccaso on mari'ia'go or renin rriage. . . , The parents of an officer may in future be granted n pension even though tho father may be living and not totally incapacitated, and even though there was not actual pre-war dependency, although if such dependency existed it shall constitute the primary basis of the pension; but the pension may he granted or :inny be increased, having regard to the infirmity, nse, need, and other circumstances of the parents 1 therefore, where 110 pension may be granted to the parents, a gratuity not exceeding one year's widow's pension . may be given. " The conditions as to pensions for sisters are considerably relaxed; young or 111-

valid brotliers are eligible, and where no pensions can be given sisters or brnthors .a gratuity not exceeding one halt-year's widow's pension may ho granted. A gratuity not exceeding the value of one year's widow's pension may be granted to Die parent, or parents jointly, of an officer, at the. discretion of the Minister of Pensions, in special cases, where the foregoing conditions are not fulfilled. A pension may b? awarded the sister or brother (or sisters or brothers) of an officer provided they were wholly or nartiallv dependent on him for .support. The Minister of Pensions shall decide the amount, but it- shall not be granted or continued to a brother after the age of 18 ilr to a sister after tho age of 21. iinirsa he or she is unfitted by age or infirmity to earn his or her living. A gratuity not excccdinc: one-half the value of one year's widow's pension may, at. the discretion of the Minister of Pensions, be granted, in special cases, to the sisters or brothers jointly where none of the foregoing conditions are fulfilled. In New Zealand pensions are iriven as a right. The disabled officer at Home provides for the maintenance of his dependants out of his own ni-nsion; in New Zealand both the disabled officer and his donendants receive a pension. In order to compare British and New Zealand maximum and minimum disablement pensions it is necessary to .set out the amounts in tabular fovm as under:—

■ BRITISH. NEAV ZEALAND SCHEDULE 11. To soldier retired To Soldiers and Dependants. pay and pension.. New Zealand Tom- Permanent. 'officer'' porary Commission " ' , Commis- in "Regular lo To Jo • mission. Forces. soldier. wife. ciiilclvon. -V'Alin' Max. Min. Add. Max. Min. Max. fMin. Max. tMin. Max. 100 20 allow. • 100 20 per per all per per Bank. cent. cent. * Tanks, cent, cent.

Retired pay under lloyal Warrant of December, I'JM. tAt discretion of the Pensions Board.

Note—lf the officer holds n permanent commission in the regular forces he mn.v be granted either: (a) The retired pay or gratuity which would liavo been nwardhim under warrant of December 1, HIM, witli an addition as in the last column of Schedule A, or (1)) the retired pay which would have been awarded under that schedule to an officer holding only a temporary commission according to tho degree of lii-i disablement, whichever is more favourable. From tho above table_ it will be seen that the unmarried British officer, on maximum retired pay and allowances, is, provided lie be regarded as. holding a temporary commission and a colonel or of lesser rank, 60 per cent, belter ott than his New Zealand comrade of equal rank. For .officers holding higher rank (lie percentages of increase are .still larger. . Comparing the maximum sum granted a married- officer in England (no children) with the maximum amounts payable in New Zealand it will be noticed that the British officer is still in an improved position, to the extent oi 25 per cent., so far as all rallies above that ot major are concerned, inferior ranks in New Zealand could claim the extra allowance of .£1 per week, provided their prewar status entitled them to it; but the maximum is .£•£ per week, or including the invalid's attendant's allowance J!5 per week, whereas the British officer can claim any difference between his retired imv and 'pension, and pre-service income "up to .£3OO per annum, and the halt the difference between ,£3OO and J!000.

Minimum awards are almost impossible to complete, for in New Zealand the wife and children would not receive a pension where it is proved that as the result of the officer's service they ore not suffering financial hardship; as a matter of fact the officer's pension is not affected by his earning capacity, is given as a recompense for wounds or illness contracted in the field,jmd it is obvious that he may he qualified lo receive even maximum pension and si ill relain unimpaired his pre-service earning capacity. The primary object of the pensions awarded in New Zealand to the wives and children of officers is to ensuro Hint ■within reasonable limits tho family ini coiiift filml! not be *ltvs tlinu I lie sum tho officer was able to earn at pre-service date. The British Act is administered primarily on the degree of physical impairment and secondly upon loss of earning capacity, but. the limitation of full income is .£3OO, plus 50 per cent, of any difference between total pay and pensions and pro-service earnings of .£OOO per annum, whilst Ihe officer not so well oil' in civil life mav claim an educational allowance of JLT;O per annum lor each child over (he age of nine—a necessary, but generous, provision. Comparisons. The following table shows the maximum rates awarded in England and New Zealand to the widows of deceased officers below the rank of lieutenant-gen-eral :—

' . ■ r • n,„„ i when the deceased officer was above the Setting out the nbove figures in another of colon(ll> lllK i (.| le eo niva-ry for the form it is clear that the British Acts and children of officers below are superior to those of New Zealand, j that rank.

If the gratuities-payable under the Bri- I federation, the superiority of ihe British tislv \ct and the cliildren's allowances legislation .becomes l.io.re marked; as set out in Schedule B bo taken into coil- j shown in tho following table-.-

' Nolo— For tlio purp.we of comparison tin- cdiionfioiiiil grant is-included in the total payalilo to widows of -deceased officers of nil 'commissioned ranks below licut.-Rencrol, but she would .bo uniiKtM / to claim or receive Iho pdncfitioinil grant, unless she had more (ban-three children. '"lie allowance hi 15=. per wwk- (pris war standard 'of comfort) granted to New Xciilnnd widows (limitation ofincomn per week) Would benefit the-widows of iimi-commissioncd officers and priynt«> only, for, us .shown alxive, the'limit ot income is exceeded in each wise. The inferior British ranks are now shown superior by 25 per cent, to corresponding ranks in New '/calami, tlio former increasing in percentage with rnnk oi' Ili3 deceased officer—the figures would show, of course, for lavger British fnniilie.s, a correspondingly better' position. As a fair average tlio sii.gle Mritish officer (disabled)' may 1-e regarded as 50 per cent, hotter off financially than his New Zealand brother. This, of course, is partly duo to the fact that nearly- all the latter hold, temporary'.commissions only, and arc able to resume prc-servieo employment; hut those permanently die-

nWed cannot lie .roßimlfd rs approsin'iating the position of a British ofiicer in Si similar condition, whilst thf widow.; and children of a British officer may b:i iti a fiiiporior position, according to his rank, of 2o per cent, to .id per cent., than are those of the-New Zeolamt oliicer.

1 " P^ Cnt - : - £ . )£ 0. s»"o »•' » 0 'lW o' Mffi) In addition 0 "SO "280' 0 0 200 .180 0 .140 0 v.0 to i.oiiL'3 70 ai5 '27 1C 192 10 175 157 10 122 10 70 cd pay . £ So m\ m o 150 w o' 105 0 w «.»to 5 50 175 1G2 10 137 10 125 112 10 8(10 oO ] ojal 6 « m 130 0 110 - 0 100. 90 0 70 « ,0 Warrant 7 i>n inr, (17 10 82 10 7a l>Y 10 52 1U .!U ui s 70 ■ (i5 0 55 0 50 Jo 0 35 0 20 1, liUi_

Widows' • Willows' Chil,Iron's Pension. Gratuity. Allowances, • , . (- 1 )' CO (!) 0) («) "Rank. " X. X ■ ■■ X .C ••Field-Marshal •••• S00 690 3,500 30 25 General ■ «0il -150 . I!,111)0 30 25 Lieutenant-General 50(1 375 -.OIH) 3(1 'J5 Major-General 3(11) 1,0110 30 25 ISrmnilicr-Geiieral 300 225 ' 1100 30 25 (Jolomii ■ 2«0 150 ... (iOO 21 20 Lienlcnani-C'olonol ISO 135 . 150 2t 20 jMajor : MS 105 300 21 20 Captain 'W "5 25(1 2! 2(1 Lieutrmuit 101) ' ■ 75 ; M0 21 2(1 Second Lieutenant 100 75 100 2! 20

j>. £ £ £ £ S. £ s. £ s. £ £ £ £ s. £ M«i'.-Geir 330'- 70 - 1A0 107 ft 33 lfi 8110 - 5G - 2$™ ~ &M* r S.Si 88 85 - 8. = ] - $£'• ? S : 2 " St! - S = M = Stf ffl S = S i8i SS S? = I ~ '£Sz 2nd Lieut. 1® 35 - 20 110 10 22 2 55 n - . 20 ~ lto 1a

~ BRITISH. NEW KKALANI) SCHE1)TJI,E 1. "Widow. Children. (1) . , (2) „(3) (5) (0) S«!| g * -S i a* "5,2 w i» b 4J 5 p ~ & Cfl 3 73 rtj 4 3 ,-tM Z&S %h £&. -§S 3 |s A § 2<sa.ffl SP-sJ. wA £ £-« , ' •SIR ■. I st5 " j: IS a ««o .£^81' »Tfa n c ri -§ c * k-d Is o 2 ; II *W *UJ l|g i|| Is- Is 1 Kg fllil filol Hfta fcct " PS o ■ x s. •£ s. is. •£ s. .En. .£ s ie. Titian '" "300 0 0 'lo 0 25 0 i83~ 0 208 0 26 0 B,ig.-C.en. ... JOB 0 u 2fl , ]( . 2( . „ ft to ,K l o {35 5 it 0 SO 0 1T1 12 197 12 26 0 un n ]0 r ) 0 24 II 20 0 148 4 171 t 1 2G 0 I™, £ 75 o 24 0 20 0 130 0 15(5 0 2G 0 W" 1 S J 75 0 2. 0 20 0 117 0 143 0 26 (I ft&s-55 S! «. ».

BRITISH. NEW ZKALAM). Widoivof With 1, 2,3, 4 or 5 Children. Widow of With 1,2, 3, iorS Children. 1 '2 3 4 5 • 12-345 ... ,£,£.£.£.11 „£.£,.£.£ .£ Mni-Gon 431) 400 490 520 550 Mnj.-Gen 234 2110 2-SB 312 333 Krm'-Gen 330 SGO 390 420 450 Brig.-Gen. 234 200 286 312 338 Colonel 221 24S 272 . 296 ' 320 Colonel 223 251 280. M 332 T ioiit -jCoI •'01 228 252 270 300 Licnt.-Col. 224 250 276 302 323 Mn or ' 164 ' 88 212 '286 ""260 Major 200. 220 252 278 301 Sin 124 148 • 172 10C 220 Captain 182 208 231 200 2Sfi Iieut 1°4 148 172 100 220 Lieut. 109 19s 221 24< lU 2nd It. 124 MS 172 -196 -220 2nd Lf. 169 195 221 ,, 217 273

~ ]mmslL .NEW ZEALAND. . u •s ' S . § 1; -2a • fc J O ti-p I Si . '■"1 2 3" s . ■- ' 8§» p<a 5 a s ' " .2.2. t" 3 ■ ilt ® cj-a5-a 5 •S'-Sg «9-' »3- ? •• .5 Si! f g s 2 gag.** •'8 2 &k% ' '**•'• ' $ ** S Hd ■ . . £. . £ £ •£■ ; c -e s. .J! «• ■*r • rj n11 .inn 1,650 8'i 678 1/"ir'on' TO 1,350 68" 563 286' Jnopi'rniiro 2815 Bl'IftA'Cll ooq 45 .jo# iie<) if, in I Jit? uaxp 2SI) 1(! Colopel j... ,'JDl ' 275 12 dpiiemlniits 275 12 oi.j . 105 .Ml) 23 31-0 252 -1 defeated 252 1 Major • -1- , )7 . 2:u officpr5 2:u Caplnin 0-^ I'ipllt-' '••••• Ten 221 221 2nd U '..... lj0 ■ . •