SOLDIERS' GRATUITIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 November 1919, Page 8

SOLDIERS' GRATUITIES.

PAYMENT TO HOSPITAL CASES. (By Wire.—Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Last Night. An announcement of the decision ofthe Government to extend the gratuity benefits to cover more generously the cases of siok and wounded men who have spent the larger portion of their period of convalescence in hospitals in this country was made to the House of Representatives to-day by Sir Jas Allen.

The Minister sai(» that he had promised to reconsider these cases. He had had some of the cases examined and he had endeavored to make a general rule to cover those cases which seemed to be most deserving of consideration. He had decided that those men who had returned to New Zealand sick or wounded and who had spent six months or more in a hospital in New Zealand should be entitled to a minimum payment as for two years' service, instead of eighteen months as previously announced.

With regard to other men who had been in hospital in New Zealand it was difficult to determine a sound principle. Some men came into hospital for a week, went out and came back again for a period. Some were in hospital for a short period for minor ♦roubles. The proposal he had made seemed to him to be the best possible solution.