3

H.—lB

WAR PENSIONS. Total Claims lodged to Date. From From Soldiers. Dependants. From Ist September, 1915, to 31st March, 1916 .. •• 798 681 Year 1916-17 .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,958 2,017 Year 1917-18 .. .. .. 8,148 3,754 Totalis .. .. .. .. .. 12,904 6,452 Officers. Men. Total. Total casualties by death (including missing) to 31st March, 1918 .. 513 11,424 11,937 Total discharges from Forces to 31st March, 1918 .. ..567 14,199 14,766 G-boss Annual Value of all Pensions granted to Date. M Annual Value. Ave ™S° No. Pension. £ £ From Ist September, 1915, to 31st March, 1916 1 .214 56,488 46 • Year 1916-17 .. 5,316 285,707 53 Year 1917-18 .. .. .. ..10,587 709,857 67 17,117 £1,052.052 £61 Increase under 1917 Act .. .... 70,200 Totals .. .. 17,117* £1,122,252 £65 * The number of pensions granted as shown herein dors not include children's pensions, the values of which, howover, form part of the pensions payable to parents (or guardians), and are included in the total values above.

Summary of Annual Liability at 31st March, 1918.

Including the 2,374 children, the average of the grand total of 16,871 pensions in force on the 31st March, 1918, is £53 per annum.

Return showing Number of Children under Sixteen in Receipt of Pensions as at 31st March, 1918, grouped in Families.

Class of Pension. Number. Annual Value. Average Pension. Soldiers (permanent) Soldiers (temporary) Widows of soldiers Other dependants of deceased soldiers Wives and other dependants of disabled soldiers F*j| •" * Totals 900 8,405 1,099 3,265 828 £ 43,703 572,023 133,547* 109,619 45,491f £ 48 68 121 33 54 14,497 904,383 62 * Including the pensions of I ,:!86 children. f Including tin pensions of 188 children.

Deoeased Soldiers. Disabled Soldiers. Number of Children in Family. Number. Total Children Number. Total Children. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 9 2 16 4 28 I! 66 15 75 47 L88 92 276 171 342 386 386 4 8 21 47 71 107 192 28 48 105 188 213 214 192 Totals .. .. •• •• ] •• i> 380 1,386 988 Th iere are 370 widows of soldiers in receipt of pensions who have no o] ho have no C hildren.