WAR PENSIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1920, Page 6

WAR PENSIONS.

A NEW SCALE OF INCREASES. : The scale of additions to war pen- 1 sions, adopted by the Pensions Board \ under the provisions of sections 3 of the \ Finance Act, 1920, has been announced ( by the Minister for Defence, Sir R. , Heaton Rhodes. The Minister said a i request was made by the Returned Sol- i diers' Association for increases equiva- ' lent to 75 per cent., but the Minister ' for Finance had found it impossible to , provide such a huge sum of money. The Finance Act provided for increases not \ exceeding £50,000 in any financial year. The Pensions Board had decided upon the following scale of increases:— 1. To totally blind soldiers, 10s per week. 2. To soldiers who have lost two limbs, 10s per week. 3. To all soldiers in hospital receiving full pension, 10s per week. 4. To all soldiers totallyincapacitated in receipt of temporary full pensions, 10s per week (concurrent with present grant). 5. To soldiers in receipt of permanent pensions of full amount, an amount according to the merits of each case. 6. To soldiers in receipt of full pensions with three or more children on pensions, 5s per week for each child in lieu of 10s per week as above. In eases under this head, 10s to be paid to soldier and additional amount to wife or other guardian of children. Following are examples of increases in cases where the pensioner is married: A soldier and wife receiving a statutory pension of £3 and a supplementary pen--1 sion of £1 will now receive an additional 10s under the 1920 Act, making £4 10s altogether; a soldier and wife with one child receiving a statutory pension of £3 10s and a supplementary pension of £.l, will receive an additional ' 10s, making £5 in all; a soldier and 1 wife with two children will receive an ' additional 10s, making £5 10s; a sol- ' dier and wife with three children will \ receive an additional 15s, making £5 ; 15s in all; a soldier and wife with four children will get an extra £l, bringing • the total up to £6, and a soldier and '' wife with five children will receive an [ extra £1 ss, bringing the total pension ! up to £6 15s per week.