SOLDIERS' PENSIONS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLIV, Issue 10133, 10 June 1924, Page 6

SOLDIERS' PENSIONS.

ECONOMIC PAYMENTS.

LOCAL COMMITTEES URGED. Pensions were the first matters dealt with at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association yesterday. The Pensions Committee considered a number of remits during the weekend and forwarded the following remit to the conference in lieu of the above remits.

''That this council is strongly of opinion that the present working of the War Pensions Amendment Act, 1923, is unsatisfactory in that the paramount object of establishing the economic pension (viz., that of assisting men for whom suitable employment cannot be provided so that they can maintain themselves and their families adequately or whose employment is insufficient for this purpose) has not been attained; that the only method, in the opinion of this council, of attaining this object is by the establishment of local committees of the type of the Local Repatriation Committees who will endeavour to find work for the applicants and make recommendations to the War Pensions Board as to what ec'oncmic pension (if any) should be granted; and the Government be urged to establish these committees forthwith."

The chairman moved the adoption of the committee's report, and this 1 was seconded by Mr W. E. Leadley. After a short discussion, the report was adopted. A remit urging the Government to grant the economic pension independently of the amount of the ordinary pension was received from Canterbury. The Pensions Committee suggested that in place of the foregoing remit the following resolution be. adopted: '" That the attention of the War Pensions Board be directed to sub-sections (2) and (3) of section 2 of the War Pensions Amendment Act, 1923, which in the opinion of this council entitle any member of the forces in receipt of'a pension, of whatever amount, to apply for an economic pension, and that in the opinion of this council it is the duty of the War Pensions Board to consider this application in the light of all factors affecting his economic position, including his age." On the motion of the chairman, seconded by Mr Leadley, the committee's suggestion was adopted. The Ot-ago district urged that where an ox-soldier receiving treatment in hospital made application for, and was granted, an economic pension the pension should date as from the time that he was first incapacitated. This remit was adopted. In regard to another remit from Auckland the committee's decision, which is as follows, was adopted:— "That this council affirms its claim that thero should be an appeal from the decisions of the War Pensions Board in all cases in which there is at present no right of appeal." Canterbury sent forward a remit urging that the patients on discharge from the Quean Mary Hospital, Hanmer Springs, or in other similar institutions should be granted a" full pension until such time as the medical report had been considered by the Pensions Department, but in all cases the patient should receive at least two months' full pension after his discharge from hospital. A motion in substitution of this remit —" That the Standing Sub-com-mittee be instructed to obtain the opinion of three medical experts (including Dr. Marshall Macdonald and Dr. Eardly Fenwick) as to the present policy of the Pensions Department in stopping the payment of pensions in the cases referred to in the remit; and that if the majority of the opinions so obtained is in favour of the view expressed in the remit, that the Standing Sub-committee be instructed to press for the adoption of this view by the Department," was carried. A motion was carried requesting the Government to permit an advocate to appear before the War Pensions Board in all cases of attributability, where desired by the applicant.