WAR PENSIONS COMMISSION.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 160, 8 July 1922, Page 3

WAR PENSIONS COMMISSION.

NATURE OF THE EVIDENCE. STATEMENT BIT THE MINISTER. Regarding the commission which is to be set up concerning soldiers' pensions, the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association decided to collect information to lay before the commission wb«n it sat in Auckland. Mrs. Nieol, secretary of the Soldiers 'Mothers' League, recently communicated with Mr. A. Harris, mem'eer for Writemata, to ascertain the nature of the evidence required. Mr. Harris forwarded her letter to the (Minister of Defence. Sir Heaton Rhodes, ard has received the following reply:—"l have to wjkuowledge your letter enclosing one addressed to you from Mrs. E. Xieol regarding the proposed War Pens.bns Commission, and jin reply I have to infem you that neither the Defence Department nor the Pensions Department has requested the Returned Soldiers' Association or any association to furnish any information to the commission nor do they propose to do so. It will be for the commission, when set up to obtain information from such sources as it deems fit." The letter was brought under the notice of Mr. ~E. W. Inder. president of ! the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Assoj ciiition, this morning, and he stated that the Auckland Association had been collecting information as the result of a resolution passed at the Dominion conj ferenee of the Returned Soldiers' AssoI ciation. This was that local associations should obtain all the evidence they could and forward it to headquarters for J the use of the association's represeuta- [ tive, Mr. Smith, of Wellington, when he ■ appeared before the commission. The cviI dence so far as Aiickland was concerned I had been forwarded to Wellington.