CONFERENCE DECISIONS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9050, 21 July 1917, Page 2

CONFERENCE DECISIONS.

PRIME MINISTEIt SYMPATHETIC

WELLINGTON, July 20. Delegates from the conference of the Second Division League waited on members of Parliament to-day and placed before them resolutions passed by the conference regarding pay and pensions of soldiers. " About 50 members wero present, and were presided over by Mr T. M. Wilford.

Resolutions were passed to the effect that Messrs Guthrie,and Forbes (party whips) be the permanent channels of communication between the league and members of« Parliament, and that the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Minister., of „Defence .be asked to meet members and representatives of the league at a round table conference. Before concluding, the president of the league said: "We are prepared to go to the bitter end in this struggle, and I will undertake to have a motion passed to that effect."

The members of the conference waited on the Prime Minister this afternoon, and speeches were made on the lines of those made at the meeting with members of Parliament in the morning.

Mr Massey, replying, said he had practically no fault to find with the views expressed. As to the request for the early examination of Second Division men, he could say the examination would be made as early as possible. The Defence Department would give effect to the promise he was making. J The important point of all was,.;regarding dependents. If the men went, their dependents would be considered to be, for the time beings wards of the Stato, and the State would do its duty to them; the dependents would be looked after. He was glad to notice that the British pensions scheme, the principles of which had been adopted by the conference, was a particularly generous one. Regarding the question of financial ability, he could not go into details at the moment, but he would say what England was able to do for its soldiers New Zealand would be able to do. Parliament would have the question to deal with later in the session, long before the Second Division were called on to go to the front. He hoped he had always been in favour of pensions by right, but there had been difficulties in fehe way. When New Zealand passed its pension scheme, that scheme was the most generous in the Empire. Since then others had improved their schemes, a.nd maybe New Zealand should revise its scheme. Speaking generally, he was in sympathy with the deputation. H© was not a rich man, but if every shilling he possessed were needed for carrying on the war, it would be given willingly, and there were tens of thousands more in Now Zealand of the same frame of mind.

Mr Armstrong said they were particularly • anxious to know if these matters' would be settled before the Second Division were called' up.

Mr Massey: I don't think thero is any cloubt .about that.- I will dp my best in "that direction, but I cannot make any definite promise.