PENSIONS AND ALLOWANCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1917, Page 5

PENSIONS AND ALLOWANCES.

SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE. PUBLIC MEETING. r 3 A public meeting was held in tile Sol--1 diers' Club last night, in furtherance of . the project initiated at a preliminary meeting last Saturday night, when it 2 was decided to form a local branch of I, the Second Division League. Mr. J. S. S. r Medley presided, and there was a large ) attendance. The chairman said that at the prelim- . inary meeting it had been decided to . form a league, and n provisional committee had been appointed. The objects t of the league had been stated in the pa--0 peri, but he would like to repeat, no that (, 'it would be clearly understood that these t objects had nothing to do with recruit- .. ing or political purposes, or to prevent n any reservist going to the front. The s feeling that when the Second Division t was called up men would be leaving, in n nearly every case-, dependents behind . them, wives and children, and in many instances there would be considerable hardship. Men would have to leave businesses which we're just beginning to bo successful, and to leave wives and children not adequately provided for. The idea was to join with other leagues toapn jproach the Government with a view to e getting the allowances for wives and families, and the compensation to woun- ? ded men, increased. Married men, he. un- ' derstood, received an average of £2 Ss per week, which was not considered sufSt ficient.

Mr. T, C. List moved: "That this league calls upon the Government to bring in an amended scale of compensation and allowances for dependents, at least equal to the scale operating in Great Britain." He supposed it would surprise most of those present, to know that in England the rates of compensation and allowances for dependents were almost double what they are in New Zealand. In New Zealand the most a disabled man could get was,3oa per weelc, and he asked them how a man, probably in weak health, could live on so miserable a pittance. Anyone who knew anything about the operations of the Pensions Board knew that their policy had been to cut down the pensions as much as possible. This was unfair and.wrong. There seemed to be an idea more

or less prevalent that married men would not be called, but .personally he liad no doubt about it —at any rate they ought to prepare for the worst while they hoped for the best. Every student of the war situation must have come to the conclusion that the war was going ta be prolonged, and it might he necessary for all to shoulder the gun. None of them would shirk their duty wfyen called upon, but they would be perfectly justified in asking the Government for proper air lowances for their wives (tad children. On looking up the English figures he had found that 'they wan such as to make {he New Zealand provisions look miserable by comparison. This applied part ticularly to the rates for incapacitated soldiers and OiftJßilw&Mjffldsr. sMsfc

ispects, to tho benefits whisht ' conferred on soldiers' widows »f)s oJfflC* '' drea and other dependents. ' j er traversed the position at lengths jftwup stated only the previous day By flffc & ",: 'Allen that there wag no- occasion totjto ' the present Defence Act, as it was w«E- '', l ing so well. That only showed! tfca ne» cessity for the whole of the seoonidivJ. sion reßervistij oombining and w*fcU> >*', 'their voice- heard 1 . The only way to? .'S move the Government was to nrodTatßU ,\? For this purpose- every reservist «Vflffi ,' >;5 Jbo a member of the league. Ha WW tat. * isfied that if eombined action wejrii tak* -'"■ en by reservists throughout Hew JQte- J Band they would get the- present taja*- 5 .7 tices removed, and at any rata get ts» i..' same schedule of compensation ant *l- -j* l lowances as had been enthusiastically ' >: carried both by tho House of flmrainpi and, the House of Lords in ■," ain. (Applause). ! j ■* Mr. J. Clarke seconded the motion, »ad! 'U; said that any doubt as to the neoauity ' > for forming a. league must have been dk- * '& pellcd by the facts and figures quoted lv •'■! the previous speaker. This wu a ittaUy *.-'« important question to single men M w 'i i as to married men, for youngtani m> '--' returned from the war could under $* K present system only get compenw&oajf -i-------they married within six montKs attr i;| their discharge. Some people Mid vSf lM .believed the second division would notbe "".$ called up, but if asked they couldgWf ■ -ft' no reason for that belief. Them• W*ro ' 1 only about four months' baUotting for -.' H the first division left, and then the as** ' .9 ond division would be called upon. Sftr \ jvas the time to assert their claims, be- .' t; cause if they waited < '1 they had donned: •, J the khaki and gom -nto the trauhfeß '}'\ they were done foriiver. What would',- V} happen, he asked, in camp if eight <p(F,', >*■ ten thousand men found they ccuM aOti ' * support thoir families? The men wmdft' ~ & simply take charge; there wag ni Other '• Vi possibility. The New Zealand (fMWfy >h : ment would waste a million oa§ JtQ*' S way station and never miss ii Tfiie V'-i debt of New Zealand had been greawj('''i 4 increased by the war, but the WOple did - '„' not feel it. New Zealand was tadoatt* x % pdly the wealthiest country in the WOHj,, '4 and would be still more prospwota la '• '& the near future. It could well affgrd tl> .;Ji pay its defenders adequately. ■" • VflS Mr. J: MoLeod supported the motittu '''J What they wanted to insist umniwu ..<i that they should not be called upon t» , fight at less than a living wage/ width ''"!' he said was £3 per week. The£'ijnxnin('.t4t was not too much to ask for a ,man, and their duty wee to see tiiat.iie ''S Governmept granted it as a right, ayd not leave the fixing of the amount ty>.' 1 any board. Before they went to the ,w front they wanted to know that they ' would be able to live in reasonable com- i 'j fort on their return, and that if they' % did not return their wives and children' •'., would be adequately provided for. As if. to tho cost, this could pay even an ex- v ) travagant rate; in fact there was notlt- -i''." ing this country could not pay for. A« '; | had already been said. New Zealand war 4 the wealthiest country •in the world, - 1 >i and there was nothing it could not stand. 'I"1 The English scale had been granted aa -i> a right because English statesmen had >'-4 t been brought face to face with the proh- !•.') lem of continually arriving thousands .■-.'£ of wounded men. If wounded men came-. I'back in the same numbers proportion- -. jj ately to New Zealand our ownOovern-' ,'■ ment would realise, the necessity of, '•!?' granting fair and reasonable allowanoefc. J 'Perhapi Mr. Massey «nd Sir Joseph. > Ward \fould know and act acwtdlngfy. ■' -, ' : \ He strongly urged that every reservitt ,•:] should become a member of the league. \ '- f The motion was then put and carried '. -J unanimously, amid applause. r .^;i J!v. McLeod moved: "That in the ■""'" ion of this league the separation auo#> - 'lf ance to wives should be increased from. ; 'A Is to 5s per day, and for children frotji .-Vjj 9d to Is per day. • ' '' f j The motion was seconded by Mr. Aj.'Jv" C. Downs, and carried unanimously. <' \'X Mr. Downs moved, "That the Governs .',*» ment be asked to hold tho ballots and f* medical inspection for the second sion as early as possible, so as to gjvjs (} reEorvists ample time, at least tfie> ;■ '}■ montlis, in which to arrange their bu»l» ness affairs."—Carried. • 1"! Mr. R. J. Deare moved: "That theXJoti, '"'| ernment be requested to state what ac- n'J tion they propose taking for the pro* tectiqn of businesses and undartoMaga, ?-, of consequence throughout the eomt» ; ,.tj which are certain to be prejudicially al*""'' footed if not entirely ruined through tto owners and controllers being called to.*, —Seconded by Mr. MoLeod and carried,*; -,*/| ELECTION OF. OFFIOEiRS. • ' \ After the names of those in the «*«',; <ls had been enrolled as members league, officers were eleeted as follow»i • <'l -President, Mr. J. S. S. Medley; presidents,' Messrs E. J. Whittle, ?. '*y/-Z Hill and T. Furlong (members of &»'■• '< Efficiency trustees); honorary »«*• "'• ,V rctarv, Mr. L. I. Roa; committeei: Messrs T. C. List, J. Clark, J. Meteod,;.." Duff, A. C. Downs, C. S. Bennell and K; i;", J. Deare. ,'3j A vote of thanks to the chair cIomA ' '" the meeting. (',' l 1 •'{