WAR PENSIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 May 1918, Page 2

WAR PENSIONS.

. PRE-ENLISTMENT ENGAGEMENT. Among the remits approved by tlio Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association for consideration by the New Zealand Conference of Returned Soldiers is as follows: "That if a soldier marries after his return his wife be eligible for a war pension, irrespective of evidence of pre-enlistment engagement or time limit." The War Pensions Act, as amended in 1917, does not retain the "pre-enlist-ment engagement'' stipulation previously adopted by 'Parliament. Hie original rule was that if a returned soldier, who had qualified for a war pension, married after his discharge, his wife would be qualified for a pension only if she had been engaged to the soldier before he \vent to the front. The present law provides that a war pension may be paid to a woman who "becomes, by marriage in New Zealand, the wife of a member of the forces ■ after and within two years from the date of liia discharge: provided that in the event of the death of such member his wife shall thereupon cease to be a dependent within the meaning of this section, but in any such case there may be paid to her a gratuity of an amount not exceeding twice the annual value of her pension." Under this provision any disabled or partially disabled New Zealand soldier may marry within two years of his discharge and then receive, a ( t the discretion of the Pensions Board, a pension for his wife on the usual scale. If a completely disabled man, who had Deen receiving the full pension of £2 a week (possibly with the additions authorised by the Act) married within two years of his discharge, his wife could receive a pension of £1 a week as long as he lived. But the marriage must take place "in New Zealand." The words "by marriage in New Zealand" are important, since there have already been cases where disabled men have married outside New Zealand and then have applied for pensions for their wives. The applications have had to be refused tinder the present law.