WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 124, 26 May 1916, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE SENATE AND THE CAMP.

PENSIONS.

(Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, May 24. Th e five or six hundred guests enI tertained by the Minister of Defence at Trenthani camp on Monday came back to Wellington highly delighted by what they saw of the soldiers-in-mak-ing at their daily tasks. They had gocd reason to be pleased. The arrangements for the entertainment of the visitors, the cordial hospitality of the officers and the hearty welcome of the men left absolutely nothing to be desired. The handiwork of General Henderson, Colonel Gibbon and Colonel Potter, and the zealous officers by whom they are assisted, was noticeable everywhere. The camp has been simply transformed since this time last year, when it was a cause ' of reproach to the whole Defence Department, and whether the credit is due to the Minister or his officers the transformation itself is a matter for general congratulation., iEven miore gratifying than the appearance of the camp was the bearing of the men — four thousand bronzed, hearty, sturdy fellows, enjoying every hour of their working day and impatient only for the time when they will have their opportunity to turn their training to account. "If we old fogies in Parliament were doing our part in the same spirit a s these men are doing theirs," was the comment of a disgruntled member of the House during the march past, "it would be a heap better for the country." THE COLONEL AND THE PRIVATE • -.sjiM'.iJ. -, f-i-1. ■■ _____ The War Pensions Act Amendment Bill which came up for its second reading last night i s admitted to be more liberal than the measure it is intended to improve; but many members of the House refuse to accept it as a final discharge of the country's obligation to the men who are fighting the Empire's battles. Very appropriately Mr. Poland, the member | for Ohinemuri, who led the attack upon the measure of last session and suggested every amendment the Minister is now proposing, was the first speaker after Mr. Allan had explained his new proposals. Mr. Poland is one of the most thorough-paced Radicals in the House, sane and logical without any wild notions of reaching the millenium by an impracticable cut. and he seemed to sadly embarrass the Minister when he asked him in a confiding, co'i'ciliatory ('tone to explain just why the wi<Jow of an officer should receive a larger pension than the widow cf a private. Was l it because t ne necessities of the offiI cer's wife were greater than the necessities of the private's wife, or was it because the Colonel, receiving 35/a day, had fewer opportunities to make provision for his dependents than had the private receiving 35/- a week to make provision for his? Mr Poland paused for a reply, but it was not forthcoming and though members on both sides cf the House appeared to take the enquiry as a rather good sest the sturdy Radical himself evidently was in deadly earnest in his search for information.

WIVES AND CHILDREN. The Minister's claim that the concession £f "pensions by right" removed the only serious defect from the Act of last session was stoutly contested by several speakers. The serious defect Mr. Poland saw in Mr. Allen's proposals wa s the one -he discovered in his previous proposals, the inadequacy of the pensions provided for the men in the lower ranks and of the allowances to their dependents, and he refused to be comforted by the fact that a Lieut.-Colonel's widow with nn independent income of £1250 a year will now be granted the full pension of £l7l and her children given allowances on the same scale. Mr. Wilford put the position concisely. "The Bill, as a, matter of fact," ho said, "dees not improve the position of those wives and children who have no private means, since it does not raise the rate. But it does improve the position of the wives who have means, since they are to receive the pension regardless of their income." B'cth Mr. Poland and Mr. Wilford called attention to the fact that while Magistrates made a practice of granting" 10/- a week for the maintenance ■of a child in affiliation cases the State proposed to give the widowed mother only ')/- a week for the same service. Dr. Newman, whom no one will suspect of entertaining rabidly sociaJisric ideas, added his protest to those of th e speakers en the other side of {he House and it is quite likely the Minister will have to take back his bill for further consideration. BREAD AND PATRIOTISM.

The Prime Minister docs not appear to be greatly perturbed by the reitorz'ytl suggestion that the Board of Trade is doing nothing to justify its existence. He reserves his rare outbursts cf indignation for what he regards a« graver indictments of his administration. But members of Par-

liament, as well as the general public, are daily growing more curious to learn what the Government is actually doing to check the persistent advance in the cost of living. Speaking on the Pensions Bill last night Mr. P. Webb somewhat dramatically warned Mr.' Massey and his colleagues that if they did not do something to stay the extortionate hands of the monopolists, exploiters and other wicked people who are continually vexing the soul cf the member for Grey there would be something like a revolution when they attempted to enforce compulsory military service. Probably Mr. Webb is hardly qualified to speak the last word on this subject, but there certainly is a wide-spread feeling in the House that with high prices for the necessaries of life and with inade- ! qtiate pensions and allowances "'conscription" may impose very real hardships upon v. very large section of the '•nmmunity. The member of the Beard of Trade hav e not been idle since their appointment and by this time they ought to be in a position to I report upon the bread and meat and ! butter questions, which they have j been investigating very closely, and to ; say with some assurance whether or : not the retail prices for these commodities can be regulated without dislocating the whole economic fabric of the country. It is rumoured that there is a report from the Board somewhere, but so far there has been no indication of its early publication.