RETURNED SOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1919, Page 5

RETURNED SOLDIERS.

BETTER PENSIONS WANTED. "NOT A FAIR DEAL." • ~' , By Telegraph.—Press Association. 7 Wellington, October SB, The Returned Soldiers' Cbnfareneaconsidercd' a remit from Wellington ■ that the minimum pension be raised to 7">s weekly for. permanently totally'" disabled men. The Pensions Committee recommended that .the schedule of pensions for specific injuries of the War Pensions . Act", ]()17, be increased by tho addition , of plus percentages up to 150 per cent (that is 00s), weekly supplementary, pensions, nixl attendant's pension to be over and above such rate, and that dependent's pensions be assessed at the present rate. The president, Dr. Boxer, said tie" ■ principle of- plus percentages was : adopted in the French army because it was found impossible to grade injuries. * .- Mr Andrews (Auckland) opposed the' ' principlo of supplementary pensions. He claimed that pensions should Tbe granted as a right; the supplementary pension was a charity, which retained ' soldiers did not want. Broken Ifctarn- ' ed men had.not received a. fair deal, ' and th<> association's duty waa U» pro- ■ tect them. ' ■■ The discussion was postponed.

THE CONSTITUTION? ' • ' Wellington,, Last Night. The proposed new constitution, for the | New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Associ-. j ation was submitted to the conference. ■■ The proposals were drafted by a. sub- ! committee consisting of Messrs D. Smith 1 (Gore) and J. H. Luxford (Waikato). Mr. Smith, in introducing the draft, said the new constitution provided in the.schedule for a common constitution . 1 for provincial associations. Alterations ' to the constitution could only be made by the N.Z.R.S.A. in general meeting. The new organisation provided for a common policy and common action for , New Zealand Returned Soldie»s' Associations throughout the country. Various clauses of the draft constitution were taken seriatim, Bhd thi discussion which took place on then) was at times.very sharp. It was decided the following clauses ' regarding membership should be accepted: Membership shall consist of five ' provincial associations (hereinafter called member associations) to be named .- by the Bouundary Committee; a local association shall be affiliated with a • member association, but such local association may affiliate with any member . association, provided that such local association shall not be affiliated with more than one member association at any one time. The second portion of tho membership clause was adopted. The clause is; "The constitution of member associations is and shall remain mutatis mutandis, as set out in the schedule hereto." Mr. Sievwright (Wellington) said he was going to move an extraordinary resolution in order to expedite business.' His motion was: That this meeting adopts the report in toto in order ,tni give the matter an opportunity of being worked under by tho various provimSal organisations. He said that unless the conference g„ t on to the matter 'of pensions there would not be a quorum to decide vital questions which were Dn the agenda paper. " A long and heated discussion took place, in which the chairman intimated that no mention had been made at the Housa nf pensions. Mr. D, Colquhoun (Dunediii) moved an amendment that a committee, consisting of two delegates from the large centres, should go over the constitution and * select points for debate. After further discussion, Mr. Colqu- f houn's amendment was lost, i i: .'< At the chairman's suggestion,, executive were called together to discuss ■'"' the situation. At 6.30 p.m. the conference re-opened, ■ yid a motion confirming all business done i wait carried unanimously. •'"*, Investigation revealed the fact that', *) there was a quorum present, but, owing ,-'.. to the departure of delegates for their' ■ homes, there would not be a quorum fo» . the evening session. ' ' It was proposed that the' delegates • present constitute an advisory committee to deal with all matters not yet decided on by the conference Mr. Harper .then proposed a motionrestricting the advisory committee, and explained that his association would have to yarrj-on under the old constitution. The motion was carried unanimously. Mr. R.-J. F. Aldricll asked the conference to make provision for finance, i and moved that the capitation fee to headquarters be increased to 2s (Id for", new members, and renewals to remain as at. present, -2<. He callad delegates' \\ attention to the niiancifil, statement, [•£ and remarked it was impossible to carry vj on. The association at -present was / carrying on with borrowed money. ' J A general discussion followed, \hrinif '$ which it was moved, and carried 'UnV»»S aniaiously, that the executive 'borrow-'- 'Ji £SOO/ • "'' -i--