Mew Zealand.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 305, 3 June 1915, Page 5

Mew Zealand.

STATEMENT I$V Mil ALLEN. WOUNDED SOLDIERS 1 . PENSIONS FOR DEPENDENTS. LAND FOB. VOLUNTEERS. WOKK FOR PATRIOTIC BODIES. W.l.'.ngton, Last Night. Waen mentioning souks matters connected with the wounded New Zealandera to-night, the '.Minister of Defence, informed a reporter that certain pointed still to be considered. Normal!;-, a nun. who leturned from th.> front unfit for further service would he given 'his discharge at once, but the Defencci Department recognised that this system might entail hardship hi certain eases, since the. war pensions would not become payable until the Pension.; Hoard had had time to deal with the -Individual cases. " The general instruction to the officers commanding at the front," :aid the .Minister, "is that if a wounded man is unfit lor further service, or likely to toe unfit, he is to he returned to the Dominion a,i soon, as lie is well enough to travel or a convenient opportunity offers. If, on the other hand, the wounded man is likely to recover within a rea-j sonable time and become available lpr j further service, he is to he kept at the hospital in Egj|pt or elsewhere. As a matter of fact many of the New Zealand wounded are s recovering quickly. Some of them have returned to the front already, and others will he going there shortly. Sooner or later there will be wounded men returning to the. Dominion, and provision for them will liave to-be made."

Thj Minister mentioned that, under the arrangement already announced, the dependents of the soldier who died at the front would continue to druw the allowance he had made them from his pay until the pensions or allowances had heen fixed, though actually the pay would cease with the man's death, but as yet there was no provision for. continuing a man's pay after he had returned to New Zealand unfit for further service. The question was a big one. Many of the men had billets waiting for them —billets which they had left temporarily in order to join the forces —and the fact that a man had .become unfit in a military sense did not mean necessarily that he should not resume his civilian occupation. The patriotic committees couht render very valuable service by finding employment for returned men and he had no doubt that a good deal would be done in that direction, but the case of the incapacitated soldier would have to be met. The Government, added the Minister, had under consideration the general question of finding employment for the discharged soldiers at the close of the -war. It had 'been stated already that certain lands would he set aside for the men who had served at the front, and the Prime Minister had mentioned a scheme for -placing some of the soldiers* on fruit farms in the. Auckland district. The Government realised that arrangements must he made in advance for tho return of the troops at the close of the war and their redistribution into civilian employment. The patriotic committees could undertake no more important work than that of assisting the soldiers to secure suitable positions at the close of the war or of their terms of service. | H.M.S. PHILOMEL HER PART IN THE WAR. Wellington, last Night. '•The Philomel is still doing very good and useful work," said the Minister of Defence to-night. "The latest report I have received regarding the vessel shows that she has been busily employed under the direction of the Admiralty. One of the tasks was- to. tow some houseboats from one point to another point, but i may not mention the locality where she has 'been operating. She encountered some very heavy weather and, unfortunately, lost the houseboats, but there was no loss of life on that occasion. The Philomel has been put to all sorts of work since the outbreak of the war and she has acquitted herself well. Her officers and men have encountered many difficulties and dangers, and they have suffered a few losses, but they have taken their part in the world-wide naval campaign that is being conducted by the British Admiralty in connection with the great war." PATRIOTIC ALIENS. Nelson, Last Night. A large and enthusiastic patriotic meeting was held last night at Upper Moutere, which is a Gorman settlement, most of the inhabitants being descendants of the original settlers. A report that dislovaltv was in evidence in the district, which appeared in the press, 'was indignantly repudiated and a handsome - imi for' the patriotic funds was promised monthly bv the district till peace is dechii-.M. Patriotic speeches wore delivered bv the members for Motue'ka and Nelson and the chairman of the Waiiiica. County Council. The now famous Dingo Embrocation, or Training Oil, can be bought from the following saddlers:-R. Edwards (New Plymouth, A. J. Kil.hv '««'*'"?• Purchas and Son (Uremii and LratiJ, i 0. Meuli (Elthaml, E. Crewman (Tank, land Inghnvood), T. V, Street (Okato), T J Middenhall (Opnnke). E. Tobler (Okinawa). S. Ayhvard (Whangamomona), Cosgrove and Co. (Manaia), etc.