Soldiers Pensions

Horowhenua Chronicle, 1 December 1915, Page 3

Soldiers Pensions

in to a circular letter tn> u Mr Fletcuer, M.v., advocating the immediate Kummoiung oi Parliament, to amend the law respecting eoldiera' pensions, Mr \V. H. l<ieldi, M.i J ., for Otaki Electorate, has sent the loilowiug re* ply:—'ln my own ex penence 1 nave had only two instances ot complaint aaaiiist the War Pensions Hoard. One oi these-cases has .been adjusted satisfactorily, and the other will be α-econ-sidered. 1 have, therefore, no personal knowledge of such extreme handships and injustice as to justify the calling together ot Parliament for the soh purpose of amending tne War Pensioif Act. There axe, however, other mattors which seem to be likely to require tho attention of Parliament at au eady,dato. One of these is the failure tj allow widowed, mothers who are soley dependent upon their soldier 6ons tho same additional allowance as is granted to wives of soldiers. Another and still more urgent, matter, and one which the Defence Department see.n either unwilling or unable to oope wien, i> the sending of mere boys to light battles in which only men should l>o engaged. Though the age- specified is -0 to 45, and though a promise was made to me by the Minister in the House last session, that birth certificates, or other satisfactory: proofs of age should be required in all cases, it is nevertheless a fact that youths oi 17 and 18 are still going into camp. One instance of the admission of a boy oi 10 yearn has beon brought to my not-

"It is more than probable, too, that Parliament may presently have to be callod together to deal with tho question of compulsory servace in some form, and I for one feel strongly that we should have more complete organisation ot the country's resources of all kinds if we are to do our share towards bringing the war to an early and victorious termination.''