THE WAR PENSIONS ACT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1479, 30 November 1915, Page 3

THE WAR PENSIONS ACT.

MR FIELD’S REPLY TO MR FLETCHER’S CIRCULAR. The following is a copy of the letter sent by Mr W. H. Field, M.P., in reply to Mr Fletcher’s advocacy of an immediate assembly of Parliament to further amend the administration of the War Pensions Act:— “I duly received your circular letter dealing with the question of the working of the War Pensions Act of last session. “In my own experience I have had only two instances of complaint against the War Pensions Board. One of these cases has been adjusted satisfactorily, and the other will be reconsidered. I have therefore no personal knowledge of such extreme hardship and injustice as to justify the calling together of Parliament lor the sole purpose of amending the War Pensions Act. There are, however, other matters which seem to me likely to require the attention of Parliament at an early date. One of these is the failure to allow widowed mothers who are solely dependent upon their soldier sons the same additional allowance as is granted to wives of soldiers. Another, and still more urgent matter, and one which the Defence Department seem either unwilling, or unable, to cope with, is the sending ot mere boys to fight battles in which men only should be engaged. Though the age specified is 20 to 45, and though a promise was made to me by the Minister in the House last session that birth cirtificates or other satisfactory proofs of age should be required in all cases, it is nevertheless a fact that youths of 17 and 18 are still going into camp. One instance of the admission of a boy of 16 years has been brought to my notice. “It is more than probable, too, that Parliament may presently have to be called together to deal with the question of compulsory service in some form, and I for one feel strongly that we should have more complete organisation of the country’s resources of all kinds if we are to do our share towards bringing the war to an early and victorious termination.”