PENSIONS AND ALLOWANCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1917, Page 5

PENSIONS AND ALLOWANCES.

THE BILL IX COMMITTEE. A STRAIGHT-OUT ALLOWANCE WANTED. ; ' ! INADEQUACY OF GRANTS FOR CHILDREN. NIGGARDLY TREATMENT RESENTED ' 1 NO APPEAL ALLOWED. •Jy Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellingon, 'Last Night. Oil resuming at 7.30 the House went into committee on the War Pensions Amendment Bill. Mr. Veitch Suggested, that tlie Government did not 'know its own mind on the subject of allowances, therefore it would be better to postpone this business and go on with something else till it had decidod upon its proposals. Mr. Isitt appealed for equally liberal treatment to New Zealanders in the Imperial army aa to men in the Dominion army. Mr. Wright put in a similar plea for men in the motor patrol. > Mr. Brown contended that the dependents of men in the forces who commit suicide under stress of military excitement as a result of shell shock should receive a pension as though the breadwinner had been, killed. Dr. Newman asked the Government to increase the allowances for a child from 5s to 7s fid per week. The people Concerned required it, and cho country as a whole was willing they should have it. Mr. McCombs said there was much in the Bill that called for favorable comment, but the Second Division had every right to feel dissatisfied with the position in which their dependents would be placed by the Government proposals while they were away at the froni What they wanted was a straight-out allowance without their having to go bft. fore a board and prove all sorts of details regarding their position.

Mr. Parr contended that the allowance for a child sliould be 10s a week, fta It

wag quite impossible to bring up a ohildj; on 73 Od a week. There ought also tqj| ho some form of appeal froju tje Cision of the Pensions Board. _ i (L»r, Thacker argued tlmtifc was fttSurij! to ask mothers to keep the,ir children on 5s a. week, when it . was costing tls country 10s Od a day to feed German prisoners on Motufii Island,' Mr. Poland took exception to'the ,pen» sion of £2 a week /or a totally inca» pacitated man, while a widow eouid get a week and, 7s 3d fcr «very child. Was tliat, he asked, a fair thing. The whole position was not creditable to the country, and no consideration of finance warranted such niggardly treatment, The Minister, in reply, said if New Zealanders joined our forces in England they were regarded as members of the New Zealand force and entitled to the benefit of the proposals in the Bill, Tho same provision applied to men in tho motor patrol. But the question ofj whether these men would be allowed to apply to the Financial Assistance Board had yet to be considered,by Cabinet. Tha Financial Assistance Board was doing spl-endid work, and up to date had granted relief to the extent of about £60,00® a year. The grants so made were a free gift, and had not to be ropaid. He considered the case of a widow whose husband committed suicide was provided for in clause 15. He could not agree to a Court of Appeal against the decision of the Pensions Board, as it would sunplv perpetuate proceedings, and every dis". contented person would he putting in an appeal. Answering an interjection, the Minister said there waß no army in the world in which commissions were given on #' more democratic basis. Brigadier-General Brown, who had recently been killed, ' was once a coal miner. Men coming out from Cambridgo to receive commissions were our own men, selected for sp»ciftl \ qualifications, and were specially trained - in England, and that surely was an ex-, cellent system. The Premier saw them at Cambridge, and there were two Maoris amongst them. Mr, Wilford asked the Premier if ho would give the House an ample opportunity for discussing tho regulations formulating soldiers' allowances, and if that were done it would facilitate the - passage of this Bill.

Tho Premier promised, this opportunity should be given ab soon as the Minister of Defence was able to lay them before tho House.

Discussion on various points of the \ Bill was continued, most of tho speakers urging increases. t

Sir Joseph Ward said when an enormous undertaking had to be shouldered by the Government it was useless suggesting 1 increased liabilities. If there-' were members prepared to point a pistol' at the heads of Ministers, let them do it. The pensions, twelve months afte» the Second Division entered camp, together with the allowances, would amount to £31,000,091 (?). Wasitfairfor members to demand more when they refused to help the Government to raise revenue by putting a small tax on teat Six: o'clock closing meant a losb of revenue, tho increase in old-age pensions meant £300,000 extra, and if things went on this way the Government would have to put a 2s Od on tea instead ol 3d a pound, and a duty of 3d apound on sugar. The estimated balance at the end of the year was £1,200,000, and supposing everything went well this estimate would not be exceeded by nioro i than £1,500,000. There were propound in the Bill and in connection with othe> items which meant at [least three milling beyond the amount of the estimated surplus at the end of the year. The Government was stretching its finance to the utmost limit, and if the House insisted ofi its demands it would hnve to give the Government another million of tftx» ation. The attitude of members suggested they were pandering to the Second Division.

Mr. McComb3: If you ask the Houst for money we will vote it.

Sir Joseph Ward: You voted against a 3d tax l on tea because you were afraid, some of the electors might object. Let us put our taxation right first, then you can talk about increasing pensions, but to ask the Government, with the l financial burdens we have to carry, to make further increases, when we have not made provision to meet our obligations, was not fair. Mr. Hindmarsh contended that the liberal provisions of the Bill had only been extracted from the Government by pressure from the Second Division, and that the Bill would not have been so liberal but for the feet that the Government had been seized with funk.

THE PREMIER'S THREAT. Mr Massey complained the Government was not being fairly treated. They had' been told this Bill was going to be held' up till the demands of certain members were granted, but he was not going to stand that, Some membra rcntly had been asking for a j/general election, and » If they are not careful they will get it, and as the Representation Commission-' (irswill complete their work in a few ■ days the elections will bo, held on the new boundaries,: 1 The ,<»overuinent could not}! do more than in this j Bill, and he asked ! theiGovernment, And land into quitting the war.'wSmlp de- r inaiid# were forced upon the Government ■ then there must he mjjliorj in J f taxation, and when thoy camfe to db that ito what source could they turn? Nei- § tliejr land nor. inoOfte) cijuld; Stand taj 2 more, and only customis was left, and | they knew what to increase f customs. He resented'members endeav- | oriug to score a political advantage. The % Government had played the game, and ha ft" asked members to do the same, " £