WAR PENSIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1917, Page 7

WAR PENSIONS.

STILL STEADILY INCREASING. / NET STATE LIABILITY, £S72,OOO'AYEAR. • , The Pensions Board, sitting at Wellington, dealt with 992 new claims—62o from soldiers and 372 from dependents-—-during the month of November, and also with GDI claims for renewal. Of the 020 soldiers' claims, fourteen were granted permanent pensions and 539 temporary pensions ; 37 of these claims were declined and ten adjourned, Th« 372 dependents were dealt with as under:—2s9 were granted pensions and 03 allowances, 38 of these implications were declined and fourteen adjourned, . The total number of the claims dealt with from the inception of the scheme to date is 13,341. Until September 30. last, out of 9907 men discharged, there were 7468 claims for pensions; out of 8620 deaths, 421(1 claims foi pensions for' dependents arosej a total of 11.-C74. Since-i then the number ha# increased consider-.; ably, there being 820 soldiers' claims and 031 dependents' claims for November alone, an average of about' 350 a week. In one week in October, however, the recfy-d number of 405 was Reached. "It doesn't give us much rest when" they Sre- coming in at that rate," remarked the War Pensions Commissioner (Mr. G. 0. Fache) to a Times reporter yesterday. Of the total of 13,341 claims dealt with up to date, 5770 were from soldiers and 4738 from dependents. Of soldiers, 1109 were granted permanent pensions and 8823 temporary pensions; 619 of their applications were declined and twelve adjourned, aii(l 34 are on hand. Of these claims, 170 were camp eases, which, under the new legislation, are now merged with the others. Of the dependents, 3454 were granted pensions and 719 allowances; 414 of their claims were refused, IS were adjourned, and 114 were still on hand; 19 were camp cases. The annual value of the 875 pensions granted in November aggregate £56 827, an average of £65 per •pension. 'Phis brings up the total annual value of the new pensions granted since April"'l to £360,751; and the total number of pensions give*" since that date is 5581. Add: ing to this £366,751 the annual value of the'pensions in lorco on March 31 ( £257771), gives a" total of £624,522, from which must be deducted the annual value of about 800 pensions voided through <Wth and cancellations, since April 1 (£52,000, in round figures), giving a net State liability of £572,522 a year, in respect of 8950 pensions.