VETERANS' PENSIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 125, 14 October 1912, Page 8

VETERANS' PENSIONS.

"A PAUPER'S BILL!" Members of the Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Royal Veterans' Association met in the Drill Hail on Saturday afternoon to consider the Veterans' Pensions Bjll now before the House. Colonel J. Ellis presided over a large attendance, and tne feeling of the meeting was very 'hostile to the Bill. The prime objector to the proposed measure was Captain A. Standish, who addressed his fellow veterans at length on the subject. Veterans would remtinber, he remarked, that when the Military Pensions Bill wae before Par- , liameni.last year the present Prime Minister (then Leader of the Opposition) expressed himself in very strong terms against it. He condemned it as an insult to the Veterans of the Dominion. If those, continued Mr. Standish, were his views, they could rest assured that when the matter was laid before him this session he would carry the opinions lie tihen expressed into effect. It was necessaTy,' however, for the veterans to meet that day and ventilate their objections, otherwise the Government might think they were satisfied with the Bill. In adding that very probably Mr. Massey did mot «ee the Bill before it was introduced, Mr. Standish moved the following motion:— "That this meeting of veterans desires respectfully, but most emphatically, to express its disapproval of the proposed Military Pension Act, 1912, now before Parliament, and to state that no pension will be acceptable to them but a pension granted for services rendered, without any restrictions or deductions, each pensioner before receiving (his pension having to prove only that he has the New Zealand War medal, has been and ia of good character, lias resided in the Dominion for the last ten years, and that the pension be paid to such veterans irrespective of what revenue they may have or what, property tliey may possess, and that the Military Pensions Act, 1911, be rr:;ealed." The motion was seconded by LieutWells.

The Chairman questioned the advisability of passing any antagonistic motion in view of the fact that the Veterans' headqurters at Wellington had advised them that under the circumstances it_ would be better not to meet and criticise the Bill. He read a letter from the secretary (Mr. Stidolph) who stated that the present Bill would provide for any necessitous cases, and that next year a Bill would be introduced which would give the whole of the veterans all they were asking for. At a later stage in the meeting Mr. Ellis mentioned that a telegram had been received from the Hon. O. Samuel strongly advising the Association not to hold an adverse meetin" at the present. The majority of those present, however. held that it would be better to let the Government know the mind of the meeting oh the subject. Resuming, Captain Stendish vehemently attacked the Bill, in effect the only thing, he said, tli.it C'ovrrnment were giving to the veterans wiis t!ie privilege of calling the old age pension a military pension. They had asked for a loaf and had been given a stone. ' That was Liberalism! The Act of last session was a wonderful measure and it had cost the country nothing! The veterans did not want charitable aid. All the world over military pensions (had always been granted for services rendered, and GoTernments had not inquired whether the recipients had any property or not. They did not impose a tax on frugality. Veterans got the pensions when they were comparatively young men and drew it for the remainder of their lives. New Zealand's war veterans were not young men, and the Government could rest assured that when they got their pension they would not draw it for long. The State need not be afraid that it would coflt the country much. The speaker then went on to point out how pensions granted to Civil Servants were given irrespective of whether a man had means or not. Veterans should be on the same footing. Concluding, Mr. Standish said: *'l say that public opinion is unanimously in our favour. I have not met a man who has said: 'No, don't grant it.' They all say that we should have a pension without regard to what property we have or anything else. That is the'papers view also. We have got the public with us, the Press with us, and the Members with us. and T feel sure that we have th« Prime Minister with us." Captain Wilson concurred in tin- previous speaker's strictures. "J obwt" fce said, "to the Bill in tnto. It is ' i( papupers' Bill. We do not want charitable aid!"

Colonel Ellis: We all »a.v thai but tfie headquarters in Wellington have told us not to have a meeting. Captain Standisli: T don't 'hiii' "w should be controlled in ihh m-ici- • bv the people in Wellington. I trin\- t is largely due to them that ve y o t this present unsatisfactory Bill. This .s r-.ore a centre of veterans than °n any other part of the Dominion."

The motion was then put and cjh l-iocl the resolution to bo sent to the Minister'j in charge i>f the Bill, the Hons. 0. femuel, and T. Kelly, the Taranaki memSens, and throughout New Zealand. It was decided to forward a copy of fifferent branches of Ihe Association tiro or three memebrs alone iissoxding,