RELIEF FOR SOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 June 1922, Page 7

RELIEF FOR SOLDIERS.

THE PERMANENTLY DISABLED. TARANAKI ASSOCTATIGN’S SCHEME. The P.D.S. scheme and its relation to the policy of the Internal Adairs Department was referred to as follows in the annual report of the Taranaki Provincial War Relief Association: “In June, 1921, notification was read from the Department of Internal Affairs intimating that the association’s P.DjS. scheme did not meet with the approval of the Minister, and stating that as no express authority had been issued by tlv> department, no further grants were to be made until the matter was investigated. On receipt of this notification a strong protest was entered and personal representations were made to the Acting Officer in Charge, War Funds Department of Internal Affairs, and also to ths Minister of Internal Affairs. Later on a further personal interview with the Acting Officer in Charge took place, and as a result, the executive committee hoped that the restriction would be removed at an early date. Such, however, was not the case and negotiations have since been continued, but without satisfactory results. The principal objection raised by the Minister of Internal Affairs appears to be. that the association will not have funds available for the benefit of returned Taranaki men who may break down in years to come, as a result of previous active service’ and notwithstanding the fact that there are other funds available to meet this contingency the department still strongly adhere to this principle. “With a view to making further progress in the matter of payments under the permanently disabled soldiers’ scheme, and realising that any cash assistance granted at the present time would confer the maximum benefit upon many of our returned men, representations have been made to the department, without prejudice, that a sum equivalent to one third of the remaining funds as at 31st March, 1'922, be transferred to a special account, such account to be operated upon for the purpose of granting relief to sick and wounded ’soldiers, in necessitous circumstances, who do not qualify under the association's permanently disabled soldiers’ scheme. This transfer, if effected, will curtail payments to be made under the association's original scheme, with the result that at the present time the prospects of making any payments to applicants whose irreducible permanent disability is below 40 per cent., are not only remote but impracticable. It is also quite apparent that the grants to original applicants whose cases were finalised at 40 per cent, and over will require to be curtailed, resulting in an all round pro rata reduction.

“It must also be remembered that the late applicants will not receive the same direct attention under the scheme, but the fact must not be lost sight of that these applicants, as well as finalised cases under 40 per cent, are entitled to receive consideration as sick and wounded soldiers in necessitous circumstances and assistance can be granted from the special account which it is suggested to create by way of a transfer of one-third of the existing funds. Subject to the removal of the restriction the executive committee have pleasure in reporting that funds adequate to make an immediate grant of 33 1-3 per cent, in all finalised cases of 40 per cent, a.nd over are available. Early in the year the executive committee unanimously resolved that original 40 per cent, to 100 per cent, cases should receive payment in preference to other applicants, and that after this class of applicant had been paid, the late 40 to 100 per cent, applications should next leceive consideration.

“In arriving at this conclusion the executive committee had in mind the fact that when the permanently disabled soldiers’ scheme was inaugurated the original intention and. desire of the association was to grant some special measure of assistance to seriously permanent disabled soldiers, a seriously permanently disabled soldier being defined as one who was suffering irreducible permanent disability 40 per cent, or over the original scheme was only extended to embrace applicants suffering disability as low as 20 per cent, at a time, when the accounts indicated that the association apparently had ample funds to discharge its obligations to seriously permanently disabled soldiers, and also entertain applications from men only partdaily or. slightly disabled, and in addition have a moderate amount in reserve. The opening of the scheme to such a wide extent, accompanied by the fact that all Taranaki men in receipt of a pension were invited to lodge applications, brought forth numerous applications which, upon examination. disclosed a high percentage of eases suffering 40 per eent. disability and over, and causing all previous calculations to be upset.”