WAR PENSIONS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9052, 24 July 1917, Page 5

WAR PENSIONS.

"Full particulars relating to. the new scheme of British war pensions •have been received in New Zealand," said the Prime Minister in answer to a question in the House of Representatives, " and it is clear that" the provisions of the scheme are much in advance of anything previously provided in the Old Country. In the new scheme an attempt has been "made to discriminte in "^tvour of soldiers whose prewar earnings were more than £1 7 s 6d per week, but this discrimination does not extend beyond pre-war earnings of £5 per week, for which the maximum pension is £3 15s per week. Pre-war earnings are denned as the average weekly earnings of a soldier during the 12 months preceding the commencement of the war.

"In Britain no pension is provided for the wife, and £3 15s per week is the maximum for the soldier^ his wife, and children. In assessing the maximum pension in Britain, not only the soldier's actual earnings of which he is capable are taken into consideration. The provisions of the existing law in New Zealand are for the most part well in advance of similar proposals in Great Britain. Any .direction, however, in which the New Zealand scheme can be benefited on the lines of the British scheme are being carefully considered, it being the desire of the Government to make the best provisions possible for our soldiers and their dependents."