SOLDIERS AND THEIR DEPENDENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9792, 16 October 1917, Page 3

SOLDIERS AND THEIR DEPENDENTS

To the Editor “N.Z. Times.” Sir, —As an indication of tho trend of public opinion in regard to the manner in which tho National Government supported by a majority of the members of tlie' House of Representatives and the Legislative Council is facing the problem of meeting tho country's obligations to I soldiers and their dependents, the following from the leading columns of the ‘‘Wairarapa Daily Times” is illuminating “The Second Division. It is pleasing to noth that there are still a few mem-:-bers of the House of Representatives who have tho interests of the dependents of tho Second Division men at heart, and who refused to be ‘gulled’ by the red-herring drawn across the scent by medium of the caucus held on Tuesday. Tho people will recognise by tho voting in connection with the various clauses of the bill dealing with the pensions, etc., of the Second Division who are the real friends of the country. . . . The coutnry is behind these members of Parliament who are standing up loyally for tho women and children of the Second Division men, and that is why so many political mountebanks in the House fear a general election.” Then follows unde,r tha heading’ “A General Election,” a strong condemnation of the statement made by the Minister for Finance, “that anyone advocating the holding of a general election should be hanged.” “One does not go far to see the reason. Sir Joseph A\ r ard known perfectly well that and members of his party in the National Cabinet have not the slightest chance of ever again getting into tho Cabinet positions which they hold at present. He does not want an election and he fears it greatly,” is the comment of this journal, well-known as anything but an ultra-radical publication. Tho justice and reasonable nature of the demand; put forward by the Second Division League—unanimously approved by a bodv of men representative of tbs

■whole of New Zealand, and of all walks in life as well as varying political opinions—has not been questioned by Cabinet or the House, and there is no need for discussion on these aspects, but the Minister for Finance, behind whom the Ministry and Parliament are sheltering, lias persuaded the representatives of the people that the financial resources of this country cannot stand the strain of recognising the British Government s pre-war earnings, pension principle, beyond. £3 per week maximum pension for 3isa.blem.cnt plus .£1 towards pre-war standard), whereas to equal iao Home provision we should pay any soldier the full amount of pre-war earnings up to £3 15s (did 10s plus 50 por cent, lor normally higher cost of living. and wage standard), with a maximum of £o 12b Gd (50 per cent, of the difference between «£3 15s and £7 10s). The Now Zealand Government has fixed the maximum at .£3 except in the case of those with children, whose limit is J 25 in all. Therefore with «v wife (maximum pension dJ-l) and two children the J£s limit is exceeded. There should bo no limit other than for the disabled soldier and his wife, otherwise the larger families arc placed at a discount. The financial resources of this country cannot, according to the Minister lor Finance, stand the strain of 12s per week additional to the 30s pension fixed 2or a widow without children, and a like amount additional to the widow with children (fixed at X2». It is nor to be expected that more than one out of every five in the Second division will see active service, and allowing that many of the First Division have, joined the ranks of the benedicts, we need not anticipate a greater number of widows than, say, 10.000, and surely .6300,000 per annum should not cause to faa short in the duty we owe to those who are making such a tremendous sacrifice in our interests?

The question is: “Should the just treatment of soldiers and their dependents be relegated to a secondary position as compared with the financial interests?*' Of course, there is a point beyond which any country cannot go, but looking around, and noting uio increase in luxury among certain classes —particularly in the matter oi tho importation of motor-cars, which, despite tiie contention of tne Minister for Finance, are used more for pleasure than essential utility—can It bo said that there is any evidence of those who are staying at Home, as a whole, practising economy, or, with the exception of the working-classes, and those witn small salaries, in the pioiessioual classes, suffering great iiurasmps? Wny caH upon tne soldiers ana their dependents lor the dual sacrince? There is a, tendency to compare the position of the soldier and Ins dependents with those on the lower rungs of tho social ladder, but all the soldiers want is that their dependents should bo given a “square de-al“—placed in an average condition and who, with a full knowledge of tho facts, will say that tho average woman will be better off if in receipt of £2 lis per week (either as separation allowance or pension—the league's figure; than with her husband a-t her side? To find the money the Minister for Finance, hailed by some of his ardent admirers as the great financial genius in Australasia, has also O o make his land -and income tax machinery a trulv scientifically graduated one, by removing the c6fc4Co income limit, and , the .£192,000 unimproved value of land maximum, to tide him over all difficulties. It -wus not till the advent of the Lloyd Georgo Budget- of 1909 that the Liberalism of Lord .Rosebery was shown in. its true colours, and it has takem. this great war to show the erstwiiil© supporters of tho Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward where he stands**. In. tho Legislative Council the other day theHon. T. Maguinity said that the pensions scheme as amended was th© best in tho world. I have shown already that in some* phases the British scheme is superior, and having regard to the normal economic conditions of the two countries, there may be other features more favourable to the Homeland, and having regard to pay, allowances ami pensions, possibly other parts of the Empire are close in the wake o£ this country. The Hon. G. Carson regards the bill as over-generous, and laments the possibility of some families benefiting financially by the less of their breadwinners, and the pensions scheme tending to produce an. idle class. I prefer Sir W. IXall-Jones, who said: “The bill did not go far enough in nil cases. Tho country could afford to do full justice to all the soldiers and their* dependents." This fact should rot be overlooked: — “The payment of adequate separation allowances and pensions will mean that the home life of this country will be kept intact —that whether th© cost is .£2.000,000 per annum or more is in a sense immaterial because it only represents a crossrentrv in the New Zealand nation’s! ledger—-a transfer from the account of “The Man who Stays at Home" to “The Man who gpcs on Active Service—and his Dependents." The financial resources of this country will not be unduly strained. Our war profits should help us to carrv on in the matter of taxation demands, and interest of loans (the free of income tax concession 'notwithstanding) for some years, and the fact that wo have to face the Minister for Finance's bugbear six o’clock closing, and the group of members in the House opposed to increasing the cost of living (oppohen’c of the ten tax— nominally fixed at 3d per lb, but approved by the. Board of Trade ns 4d—ld rnko-off for tho merchants) should not prove insuperable difficulties.—l am, ©to.. A. C. HOLMS, Secretary Fc-athereton Second Division League.