NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1916, Page 6

NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL.

THE PENSIONS SCHEME. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, March 3. One of the charges brought against the war pensions scheme is that pensions are not payable to dependents who reside outside New Zealand. Speakers at recent meetings have stated that recruiting was being hampered by the fact that men who liad dependents in Australia or fhe United Kingdom could not enter the forces, since their death would leave their dependents quite unprovided for. Critics of the War Pensions. Act are making a mistake on this point. The law lays down a general rule that dependents receiving the New Zealand pension must be bona fide residents of the Dominion, but it makes an exception in the case of a father or a mother. This exception covers the great majority of tile men who at present are sending money to relatives beyond New Zealand. Recently the War Pensions Board granted a pension to a woman living in Tasmania, on account of the loss of her >scn, who was a member of the New Zealand forces. CINEMA CENSORSHIP. The Minister for Defence lias taken power, under a regulation gazetted this week, to exercise a censorship ovsr cinematograph films relating to the war. The need for action .in Jliis direction has been brought under the notice of the Government lately, and the censorship will be put into operation at. once. Some people wlil remember the appearance in New Zealand of a lengthy motion picture showing the German army in the field. Some exception was taken to that film at the time, but nothing done in the matter. A picture that may receive the attention of the authorities is one that is reported to deal with the execution of Nurse Cavell by the Germans. An incident of that kind hardly provides proper material for a "film drama," even if the producers were animated by the very highest motives. THE REVENUE. The financial statement made by Sir Joseph Ward to-day indicates that.there is going to be a surplus in tile Treasury when the financial year is closed at the end of the present month. The revenue, with the assistance of the new taxation, has mounted, up in a most gratifying way, and the effort to reduce expenditure has produced most gratifying reresults, though scarcely all that had been expected. The public works expenditure for the eleven expired months of the financial year actually shows an increase over the corresponding months of the preceding year, and, reading between-,the lines, one can see that this fact is not relished by the Minister of Finance. The success of the local loan of £2,000,000 some months ago has placed the Public. Works Fund in a strong position for the time being, but apparently the money must be made to last till the end of the war. Financial authorities seem to be agreed that another local loan for public works purposes at a time when the Empire needs every available pound for the prosecution of the war and'the maintenance of essential services would be a mistake. The raising of money abroad for public works during the war period is out of the question. But that point aside, the financial position is undoubtedly good, and Sir Joseph Ward will receive many congratulations on the excellent results that have followed Ills resumption of control of the Treasury.