RETURNED SOLDIERS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10280, 15 May 1919, Page 3

RETURNED SOLDIERS

REMITS FOB ANNUAL CONFEB-

ENCEi

A largely-attended meeting ot returned soldiers was held in the Town Hall concert chamber Inst evening, tin*, object being to elect delegates for the conference in Christchurch and discuss remits. Mr J. D. Harper (local president) presided. The following delegates were elected: —Messrs J. D. Harper, B. J. Aldrick, p. do B. Brandon. J. O'Sullivan and B. W. Irwin.

Remits were adopted as follow: - That this conference approach local authorities concerned with a view to obtaining free passes on tramcars for legless men. Having regard to the present great scarcity of houses*' throughout the Do minion, the New” Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association uirges upon Government the imj.nediate and most pro,sV_ng necessity; for State action to ward building Ironses suitable for ocpupation by retnriied men and then dependents.

That the regulations governing admission to membership of tile associa tion bo extended to include all members of the Samoan Belief party. That the crpfcvenos considers:—-(1) That the scale of allowances payable to.widowed mothers is and one that (has inil'rted great hardship upon botli the widowed nsothei and the soldier; (") that where the widowed mother is ) totally dependent on one sons' a mem'fcer of the Expeditionary Force, she should-be placed in- a sinialar position ;to the childless wife and dmaw the name -allowance by right. Payment of eucb allowance to be made retrospective; (3) that where the only sens of a widowed mother have enlisted, she ijs entitled to an allowance and should not be compelled to live upon the allotment moneys of sneh sodfers ; (4) that as widowed, mothers’ separation allowances were instituted after most of the single men had. left New Zealand and had no opportunity of becoming aware of the fact that the«o allowances had been provided for the nrovision in the regulations that grams be made from the date of application only, bo cancelled.,, and provision made for application for grants from , davr of enlistment to be' considered on their merits.

That In the opinion of this conference the (tally ration allowance of 2s per day, paid to undischarged soldiers who aro ; out-patients of hospitals, is totally inadequate for the provision of such men, and requests that the allowance he at once increased to 4s per diem. ,