R.S.A. CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 22 June 1933, Page 2

R.S.A. CONFERENCE

SOME DECISONS (Per Press Association— I Copyright). WELLINGTON, June 21. Conditions under which Returned Soldiers who have takon up farms under the discharged soldiers settlement Act are living, were discussed at the R.S.A. Conference and . the recommendations of a special comittee approved. These urge that the Minister of Lands again make, loans available to enable partially disabled soldiers to secure small farms in order that their remaining earning capacity may be fully utilised; that no repossessed property held by the D.S.S. account be offered to a civilian, at a value lower than the amount owing at the time of repossession with a view to giving the mortgagor first consideration of taking the property at a value to be paid by the civilian; the association to send into headquarters details of any cases where this principle has not been carried into effect; that in view of straitened circumstances of many unemployed returned soldiers/the Lands Minister ha urged to issue an instruction to all commissioners of Crown Lands that no un-

employed returned soldier holding a home under the D.S.S. Account shall be evicted without the fullest enquiry into his position, and after consultation with the local R. S. A.. A number of provisions were adopted in regard to the procedure to be followed iy wav of adjustment by the Crown, as between the soldier mortgagor and mortgagees of the land or landlord, as the case may be and the stock mortgagees. NON-POLITICAL, NON-SECTARIAN. QUESTION OF WAR PENSIONS. WELLINGTON, June 21. The R.S.A. at its Conference re--1 '

1 affirmed that portion of its constitution making it non-political and nonsectarian, while a resolution passed by the Council last year urging the seating up of a tribunal to inquire into the monetary and credit system of the Dominion was also affirmed. It was decided to ask that legislation should be amended to provide that the wives or widows of exsoldiers be eligible for war pensions, whether married before or after disablement, and whether outside or in New Zealand, and any time after discharge, subject always to the qualification that the ex-soldier was in reasonable health at the time of the marriage. It was decided that the Council should wait on the Cabinet to urge these reforms.

A Dunedin remit was approved asking that legislation be effected enabling the old age pension to be granted to members of tho South African ana New Zealand expeditionary forces on attaining the ago of 60, and that New Zealand expeditionary force soldiers be eligible for an extra 5s per week on the same basis as paid South African evterans. It was resolved to request that suitable accommodation be provided by the State for ox-service men whose condition through war service is not sufficiently serious to warrant their committal to a mental hospital

A resolution was carried emnhatically protesting against any change in the constitution of the War Pensions board, or the Appeal Board, along the lilies recently suggested by the Auckland Patriotic and Relief Society.