WAR PENSIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 November 1915, Page 2

WAR PENSIONS.

HOW THEY ARE AWARDED. STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER. . Wellington, November 3. There is a strong feeling, almost amounting to an agitation, in Wellington against the present method of awarding pensions to the dependents of , soldiers killed in the war. Now that the time is, or appears to be, approaching when married men or single men with dependents may be called upon to serve, it is being urged that pensions should be fixed at a definite amount, irrespective of the means of the applicant, so that a man might knew with certainty .before enlisting how his family would fare in the event of his death. At present the amount of the pension paid in every case is determined by the War Pensions Board, which examines the circumstances of every case, and makes deductions from the maximum amount of pension if the applicant has resources. The 'Prime Minister waa asked for a statement on the subject yesterday. He declined to discuss the possibility of granting the demand that in every case the maximum pension should be paid. ''l have been looking into this question," said Mr. Massey, "and I have asked the Department to supply me with a list of the pensions that have been granted, without giving rae any names. With a view of meeting the criticism that has been advanced I will quote some instances.

"The wife of a sergeant, entitled by law to a maximum pension of £7O, was granted the full amount, with £39 in respect of three children, a total pension of £lO9.

"The wife of a corporal, entitled to a maximum of £67, was granted the full amount, with £52 additional for four children.

"The wife of a private was granted the full pension of £B6, with £2B for tw o children. "The wife of a lieutenant whose estate was sworn for probate as being less than £3OOO was granted £52, and £l3 for one child.

"The wife of a major, whose estate was sworn at being less. than £2OOO, was granted £l3O, the maximum being £135, with £52 additional for four children.

"The wife of a private entitled to £OS drew £92. She bad £3OO insurance to collect, and she was earning £2 6s per week.

"The wife of another private, with some means, was granted £52, plua £l3 for one child. She had £l5O insurance, an interest of £220 in a firm, and £163 in the Post Office Savings Bank. "A captain's widow, for whom the maximum pension is £l'l7, was granted £52, and £26 for her two children. Her husband's estate was sworn at less than £3OOO.

"There seems to be an impression in the public mind," Mr. Massey continued, "that the board is not acting fairly with the dependents. It seems to me that the instances I have quoted, selected almost at random, go to show that the board, while it has to keep within the letter of the law, is doing the best it possibly can for the widows and children of those who have fallen. I don't suggest that the Act is perfect. That would be too much to expect. When it was passed into law it was very much in the nature of an experiment, and where it is shown to be defective I am suie that Parliament will put it right when opportunity offers."