EX-SOLDIERS’ NEEDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 558, 10 January 1929, Page 14

EX-SOLDIERS’ NEEDS

LAND SETTLEMENT AND HOUSES INJUSTICE TO WIDOWS (Special to THE SUN) CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday. The needs of ex-soldiers and their dependants were emphasised by a deputation which waited on the Hon. G. W. Forbes, Minister of Lands, to-day. Mr. W. E. Leadley said the first thing wanted was the restoration of that which had been suspended—the granting of freei trees to [soldier settlers for shelter belts and Other purposes. They wanted also to ask that the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act should be put into working order. It had become inoperative. To-day the only advances they could get for returned soldiers were for 50 per cent, war disability and T.B. men. There were still, however, a number of men wanting houses. In the old days it was possible to get advances not only for new houses, but for buying houses, and they thought civil servants on transfer should be given , an opportunity of buying houses. Mr. E. E. Wilcox, secretary of the 1 association, said applications for grants for houses were still very numerous. Mr. Forbes said trees were not in his department. He would, however, bring the representations before the Minister concerned. A large amount of money had been paid back under the housing policy, and applications were now being cleared up. The board was working overtime, and the difficulty would soon be overcome. Mr. G. W. Lloyd, president of the association, referred to what he called anomalies in the Pensions Act relating to the widows of soldiers. He said Parliament was under the impression that it was going to cost a considerable amount of money to find these pensions, but it would not do that because it was simply a continuation of the same pension. The anomaly lay in the requirement that there should be a pre-war engagement to marry. The reason, as stated at the time by Sir James Allen, was that unscrupulous women were marrying soldiers on their death-beds They had challenged Sir James Allen to prove that, andwio case had been submitted. The War Pensions Board said that on the death of the husband the widow would get nothing. Mr. Forbes promised to bring the matter under the notice of the Minister of Defence. He said he could see that there was a hardship involved.