WAR PENSIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1918, Page 2

WAR PENSIONS.

SOME LARGE FIGURES. COSTING £50,000 A MONTH An interesting statement as. to war pensions dealt witili up till December ■3l was made to a New Zealand Times reporter by the Commissioner of Pensions. During the months of November and December, 17.50 new claims, and 1229 renewals were dealt with. Of the new claims 020 were from soldiers in November, 372 were from dependents in November, and '2BO in December. Of the 1104 soldiers' claims for the two months, sixteen were granted permanent pensions, 992 temporary pensions, 83 were declined, and 12 adjourned. Of the 052 dependents' claims, 401 were granted permanent pensions, 100 temporary, G7 declined, and IS adjourned. The total claims dealt with from the commencement of the coming into operation of the Pensions Act till December 31, '1917, were 14,481. These have been deal with as follow: —111 permanent and semi-permanent pensions, 7270 temporary, 032 declined, 11 adjourned, 92 on hand, and 179 camp cases, making a total of 9301 soldiers. Of the iilSO dependents, 3650 got pensions, 702 were temporary pensions, 439 were declined, 17 adjourned, 237 are on hand, and 19 are camp cases. The number on hand is due to the fact that many applications have been received on account of the big casualty lists. The gro?s annual value of all the war pensions is £757.114. £.142.195 was up till March 317, and the balance of £414,919 represents the amount for the last nine months. This shows a, large increase. '» Against this is the net liability made lip as follows: —At March 31, for 5109 pensions, £297,771, an average of £49 a pensions; since March 31, for 02S1 pensions granted, £14,919, being an average of £OO a pension. The annual value of £072,690 is from a total of 11,450 pensions, an average of £SB a pension. Deducting from tiliis deaths and cancellations numbering about 1000, the actual position is that there are 10,450 pensioners representing an annual liability of £014,000, a little over £50,000 a month.