EX-SOLDIERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 270, 13 November 1937, Page 12

EX-SOLDIERS.

PENSION ANOMALIES.

WAR SERVICE EFFECTS.

DECORATION PAYMENTS.

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, Friday,

Soldiers' pensions were the subject of discussion in the House of Representatives to-day when the Pensions vote was being considered.

Mr. J. G. Coates (National, KaiparaV drew attention to the number of returned soldiers who were suffering from such diseases as asthma, phthisis and arthritis. They had difficulty in proving that their condition was the result of war service and were not able to obtain a war pension. It became a question of medical evidence, and the applicants received scant consideration from the Pensions Board. The War Pensions Act should be widened in order that men suffering from the diseases he had mentioned would be able to participate in the pensions scheme. Men who had received the V.C. or the D.C.M. were also mentioned by Mr. Coates, who said that the 6d a day they received for those decorations were deducted from their war pensions. A Refund. Mr. F. W. Schramm (Government, Auckland East): One man had to make a refund. The Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones: Has it not always been the case? Mr. Coates said he thought it had only recently been discovered by the War Pensions Department that the deductions bad to be made. The Act should be amended. Mr. W. J. Lyon (Government, Waitemata) said that returned men suffering from cancer should also be entitled { to receive the pension. He also made a I plea for the widows of returned men who had nursed their husbands through their years of disability and because it could not be proved that the returned men died from war wounds they were unable to receive a pension. It was an anomaly that should be rectified. Minister's Appeal. An appeal for greater concessions for returned soldiers was made by the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, who said that although these men received the consideration of the Governmental all times, there were many anomalies in their position that would need to be cleared away before conditions perfectly satisfactory to everyone could be established. One of the greatest difficulties to be contended with was that of obtaining medical assurance that impaired health suffered by some of the returned soldiers could be directly attributed to war service.

The Minister added that the small allowance paid to men who had won the D.C.M. should not be deducted from their pension. This was one of many points that he hoped would be cleared up when new legislation was brought forward. As an indication that the returned soldiers were receiving the consideration of the Government, the Minister said the War Pensions Board gave 15,000 decisions a year and of this number only 5 per cent were referred to the Appeal Board. Applications granted by the War Pensions Board usually ran to 50 per cent of the yearly total.