PERMANENTLY DISABLED SOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 August 1919, Page 5

PERMANENTLY DISABLED SOLDIERS.

HOW TO BEST HELP THEM. CONFERENCE AT STRATFORD. A conference of permanently disabled soldiers, convened by the War Relief Association, wos held at Stratford yesterday. Mr. Klrkwood presided. The conference was called with the jbject of learning tho Mews of permanently disabled soldiers on tho manner In which the Association could best assist theni with the funds at their disposal. The gathering was a vory large one, nhoul 150 attending, and ihoao present Included the chairmen ot Repatriation Committees, and members of the Ueturned Soldiers' Association, GENERAL RICHARDSON'S VIEWS. Tho chairman said he had received an apology from Brlgadlcr-Gcneral Richardson, Who had at his (tho chairman's) request set out in a letter as fur as he was able, having a direct knowledge of the requirements In Individual cases his own views as to what was best for returned soldiers. The letter stated that ho hoped all returned soldiers would Keep therasolvcs organised In one non-political body, and that their objects would be: (a) Mutually help one another; (b) foster and maintain that fraternal spirit of comradeship which they have developed during active service; (c) guard the interests of widows and orphans; (d) see that the sacrifices of their read comrades are fittingly memorialised; (e) help their disabled comrades and keep ever before the p'ibllc of this country the debt they owe to these men, and tho necessity far practical sympathy; (f) take an active part In their duties as citizens, and thereby give the country the benefit of the experience and education they have received by their travels round the world, and the observations thojr have made of the progress of science, art, trade, industries, agriculture, aud commerce In the various countries tbey bare visited; (g) settle down as <iulckly us possible and determine to make a success of their own future careers; <h) realise that this country will to a large extent be what thoy make it, as their influence will extend into every form of economic life; therefore, their influence should be directed to making tills country prosperous. He would sndeaiour to be In Stratford ot an early date and would be pleased to answer any further questions.

THE CHAIRMAN'S, AD.DKESB. Addressing the conference the chairman said the tone of the letter rang very true, and he was sure General Richardson would do all I e possibly could for' teturned men. The conference had been called at the Instance of the War Belief Association, which had decided to do something apodal for men who were permanently disabled. While the matter had teen under discussion the Hawera Returned .Soldiers' Association's delegate had asked that n conference be called at which General Rlohurdson could be present The Idea was that they should generally and fully discuss matters, und it the meeting desired, more resolutions of recommendations to the War Relief Association Of courso, they know that the Association were the trustees of the funds, and the final decision would rest with thorn. Speaking of tho manner In which the funds had beeu administered in the past, Mr. Klrkwood Bald that in the early stages the Association had been subjected to a ,good deal of criticism (or holdhuj on to the funds, but It would now be acknowledged that they had acted wisely In conserving the funds, so that they could take stock and see what demands were likely to be made upon them. During the whole history of the Association no deserving caso had been turned down, no matter what might have been said by the nun in the street, and tvery case had been dealt with on Its merits, and the necessary assistance given. The object of the Association was to assist sick and wounded soldiers and their dependants, but over and above that there were always necessitous cases which had to be dealt with ns they arose. The main object of the Association, however, was to assist sick and wounded soldiers. From the 1 very Inception of the Association four things had been kept before thorn. Every case had to be dealt with on Its merits, and the greater the measure of t'isabiltty the larger the measure of help Fit men were only helped in cases of necessity, and the assistance given in all cases was over tnd above allowances and help granted by the State. Be would like to say in regard 10 Ihe clothing allowance that It was not given ss a right, but no application had been 'urned down. It was assumed that when a man made on application for the clothing aUowwce he actually needed It. If he did not he was taking money which should be used in neiplng men who really needed assistance He i oped they would get something definite tnm the conference.

WAR BELIEF FUNDS. A member askod If the chairman rouM supply any Information as to the fliianolal position of the Association, the runout Innested, tho amount on loan, the committments, and the period they were likely to run. Mr. Bellrlnger said tho information was contained in the annual report of the Asaocla;ion. Tho secretary stated that tho position of the fund on Juno 30 was ns follows: Loans to soldiers £14,448 (since reduced by «50(1), war relief certificates fill.fOS, debentures £80(10, fixed deposit at bank £SOOO, PO. Savings Bank £5613 (since reduced by abiut £2OOO. The chairman said there were no committments. A voice: What are the present fundsf The secretary. Approximately £46,0<*0. A delegate said that tho figures toft them In a fog. With the Investments and the loans he worked the amount out at £51,000. Tho secretary pointed out that several Items ntul been heavily reduced since the annual meeting. INFORMATION SOUGHT.

Ll-ut.Colonol Weston, chairman of the Repatriation Committee New Plymouth, said t'u extent to which they could help the disabled meu would depend on the amount ova liable tor (he purpose, and so far they had no Indication of the amount. He understood that they wore asked to say how the money should be distributed, and by whom. He would like to (mow whether the benefits were to be for those raranakl men who were In the province at the present time only, or were those Taranaki men outside the district to share In them? Also those who onllsted In other parts of New Zealand. The number of permanently disabled men had been Riven as n hundrod, but when they had taken Into consideration the number in England and those In New Zealand who would not declare themselres, they would find the number very much greater Then In what proportion were they to share in the benefits? There was the further question of whether the men would set the money In a lump Bum at a pension, or would It be Invested till there was a suitable occasion for giving It to them? A good many people held the idea that they could not trust a returned soldier with a shilling. That opinion should, and he was suro would, he deprecated by tho Association. Any- money given to the men would be used to their ndvantago and Incidentally to the adrnuce of tho State. He nolnted out that many soldiers after their {vouads were not normal, atld this would have .0 be considered by those entrusted with the distribution of the fund. He favored decentralisation and placing tho funds In the hands uf the local patriotic committees. ASCERTAINING THE FINANCES AVAILABLE. Mr. Atkinson moved that It be a recommendation from this conference that the Finance Committee of the War Keller Association to prepare a report for tho September meeting of the executive of the .Association, showing: (1) The amount of funds that shall be available for distribution among permanently disabled men; (8) the amount economically jvalltble in 1919, 1920, and 1921. A member asked whether the motion should not embrace widows who had lost only sons. The chairman said they could not be Included In this scheme, but It was a matter that the War Relief Association could, and had dealt with. Mr. Tosland seconded the motion, and said re thought the permanently. disabled soldiers should be classified, and they would be well on their way to a settlement of the question. DISTRIBUTION OF THE MONET. Mr. Atkinson said the amount must of necessity be left with the executive, but the returned soldiers could help them by Indicating the manner In which the money should be distributed. The Association had not In the past followed any fixed rule, and had dealt with every case on its merits. When they knew how many disabled soldiers there were the Association could decide what amount would be available for them, and could fix a maximum payment. The Returned Soldiers' Association could indicate how tho mono? should be paid, whether the man should receive the money in a lump sum or as n prnslon. He was not running down the returned soldiers, but there were cases In which It would be better to buy the man an annuity. Suppose there were ?<) men of this kind they might go to an assurance company make a better deal for annuities than it Individual cases were doalt ivlth.

Captain Smith disagreed with the last speaker. "You could not," he gald, "give o*« man bread and the other chalk." The only people capable of dealing with returned soldiers were returned soldiers. If a man was a drinker and they bought him an annuity he would keep on boozing his £1 a neck, suppose they gave two men £IOO etch, one nude pood use of It and the other booted. the cert time the man who wasted the money came before the Association they would know how to deal with him: He naa Mronfljr in

Mr. Bellringer said tho general feeling oa question of who should attribute the nonar was that it should be left to the local com' nutteet Like the last speaker, be farcied ,>jS the lump sum, but there wis the guettta of l '-M when and la whit direction a man should b»' : 1 helped, and on these questions they weald *S need the advice of returned soldiers. Hi 'i pointed out the necessity for can, tad nM -M that there were some who moat needed help ' M and were the lest to come before the Assoda- 1 t'on. He considered there should be a larn ''l appropriation for permanently disabled nut vj With regard to the degree of disability, bo -4 thought that should be determined by a local • 1 committee after, if necessary, consultation with .'il a medical man. He felt that they would b* .J able to erolve a schema which would b* aatta- > ' factory. "•; CRITICISM KBPLITO TO. '-'4

Mr. Stevenson referred to the crltidm ,; ! directed against the Association for not anal. » Sng Hio funds more froely, but bad th* twh not been carefully conserved they wo«ld ant ''■■ be able to help the last men back. With the end of the war they had adapted a mora i, liberal policy, The funds, which hid Increased l»it year, were now diminishing heevlly. He favored giving pennanantjy dls- ' ; abled men nil the money left after profltm* for all other necessitous cases. They bad ' been helping sick men and the dependants of '' soldiers, and there had never bean an application for assistance with a recommrodattou ''■'' l<y tho local commltteo In which the amount fisted for had been refused or reduced. DealIne with the losn policy, ho said that £lt.oM ■■' bad been lent The men who borrowed bad derived considerable advantages, but the seller with the funds available could sot be conin the early steps of tho fond they had mouey to Invest, and It was "tetter . to lend It to returned soldiers than others Kg pointed out that the whole of the Modi won In a fairly liquid state. Referring to the OSesV.° n .? f llolni! something special tor ptrmaanrtlr ■> disabled soldiers, he said their put sygjsm of helping necessitous cases must be eonthMad. but the time had arrived when they aboaMdo something special for the disabled an. Whether a man should receive a lump mm «r a pension should bo left to the local patriotic committee, if then was • reeaonable hope Hut a man would use the assay Judiciously, it should bo paid over to blta^ HBtPINO THE DISABLBD MSN. ,

Major Cox said that all who looted dot*)* Into the subject would agree that then wen some mm, not necessarily returned soldlan. who could not bo entrusted with a lane tm or money. Those who were Interesting chammt»!l."l ,^«, nICII ™<* »• Patriotic ecolntttees could always be looted to for «d----vice to specific oaaei. h might be necessary to aet a rami up In tratlnen and easlithun by supervision. They did not want sotdWra walking the street penniless. These men mold of course full back upon the State, b« they did not want that. They had to consider the possibility of some returned msnuslM a lump sum of money Injudiciously, eudhe favored Mr. Atkinson's scheme. «"•"■■" The chairman said the motion was la the right dlrectiiyi. If they hurried they mlibt make mistakes. Replying to what tuft Mm said about assisting men who hid enlisted outside Tnranaki, ho pointed out that theae men would be looked after by the Astasia, •on of the district from which • .'sted. if tins was departed from there weald be overlapping. There should hare Hen one fund for the whole of New Zealand.Tut •■hough he fought hard for this it eoufi ant b» obtained. Be wanted them to unoerUnd that anything done by the AssoclatlontSnW be oyer and above what was being donitar the Government. They could not allocate a particular Bum of money at present for permanently disabled men, but would do Oils as soon as they knew how many, man bad to be assisted.

The motion was carried unanimously. Mr. Tosland said there were several other matters on which it would be advantageous to hare an expression of opinion front the soldiers, OCCUPATIONS TOR BAD CASEB. Dr. Thompson (Hawera), said it was men important as long as a living was assured to a man to provide him with an occupation and Interests than to provide him with money. He referred to esses brought under his notice One was injured In the spine, and with noire.pects of recovery. In ,ne case a man had been a most miserable creature, but he had been taught to knit and was now 'one of the most contented mon In the hospital As 'hey intended to assist men with grants over «ud above those given by the Government, the Association should also consider the onesHon of providing occupations for returned soldiers. He mentioned brush-making retouching, and Jewellery work. He would like to see a number of men taught bacteriology. He referred to the recent epidemic, and the unenviable position Hawera occupied In retard to diphtheria. They had applied to the Doteminent without success, for a bacteriologist The work required superior Intelligence, but there were many returned men who were oulte capable of taking It up. Mr. H. h. Spratt moved that a return of permanent r disabled men who were likely to *>e participants In the fund be prepared for each district with a view to assisting the Association With this return theywould be in a hotter position to dell wltil the larious cases which differed so widely in their nature. They conld not formulate a definite schemo that day There was a good sum of money (£48,000), but with the large number '.*o needed assistance it would not go very fir. There were many cases as mil as permanently disabled soldiers who needed assistance. They did not want by assisting one branch of men to strangulate another. Tho chairman said they were already obtaining the Information desired. He was totally lo accord with the suggestion that men should get employment. The Association had always endeavoured to get a man to work and prior to the formation of Repatriation Committees had given a good deal of attention to this. They had always tried to put them In rattlons which they could do Just the smount of war* they were capablo of He had a schedule showing the disabilities under which pensions were paid by the Government. Tho Association proposed to pay on the present percentage.

THE TOTAL MONET INAMQBAJB. Captain Smith said that one of bis reasons for hitting out for a lump sura w»» that £48,000 was totally inadequate It dealt with In any other way, seeing that there might be ISO permanently disabled men. A pension would be a mere pittance and not more perhaps than 12s a week. Even if It was a lump sum a man could only get £SO or £75 and what could they give the widows' A permanently disabled soldier had on an average only 5 or 6 years of life before him, and In six or seven years time there would only b« about 50 left out of a hundred. If they had a large sum of money he Would not advocate so strongly the lump sum. Mr. Hunter Booth asked why thoy should capitalise when with the amount available they could provide £1 a week for four or lire yours— tho,most difficult period. air. Sprntt favoured this Idea. Mr. Bcllrlnger said this might not salt til cases. ■ Major Cox said a proportion of the permanently di»»bl«l men would not need any astfatauee, and it would be the duty--of the Association to Inquire carefully Into tho financial position of each man. The Association could not tnko up the same position as one State, which did not take Into consideration financial status The actual number needing assistance might not bo moi-e than 50 or 60, though he could not agree'with what a previous speaker had ssld about the shortness of b disabled soldier's life. Dr. Thompson suggested that arrangements might he nutdc/'wlth an Insurance company by which for>C2r>o they might got £SO a year for more then five years for a man. A CONFERENCE SUGGESTED. ; Mr. Tosland moved that tho Returned Soldiers' Association confer with the War Relief Association with a rlow to dri'islng a scheme for the distribution of tho fund*. The chairman seconded pro forma. Ho tald he totally disagreed with It since they had with tho local committees all tho machinery necessary for preparing a proper scheme. Mr. Spratt supported the motion. The chairman said that recommendations could come from the Returned Soldiers' Asonclatlon. Mr. Grainger (Fates), said It could beat be left to the local committees to decide the form in which assistance would be given He saw no good purpose In setting up lh« pnpatea conference. The motion was lost. THE LUMP SUM POLICT. Captain Smith said he had been asked by returned men to more: "That It be a recommendation from the conference to the Association that the lump sum policy be adopted, and that the stun in some cases be Inmate!) foi the soldier at the local committer's discretion; the prnslon scheme to be applied to wlddM And their families." Major Cox said he understood that tho qwet'on of dealing with dcpendanti was not before the meeting. Tho chairman agreed with this and said the latter part of the motion should be deleted. The Association was already dealing with dependants. Captain Smith said It was only Included in the motion because tho returned soldiers wished to emphasise that It was not they out the widows who should receive a pension and he would delete the portion objected t« from the motion. / Mr. Tosland seconded tho motion, wUloh'ttas carried without dissent m».wp» In reply to a question the chairman sold that If a man wanted an annuity bought for h'm tho Association could buy It Totes of thanks to the Returned BolaletV Association's doltsatn and,too dutnsan were All who attended tho Conference wm ontwttlned at luncheon In the Medina luncheon »m» by tl* ffa* Sim Awefttlos'a ■HJW . .£ ... ' .&■>' . ■>'*,;-,". ■'-;, %..,:.