CRIMEAN AND INDIAN VETERANS

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12647, 10 November 1906, Page 6

CRIMEAN AND INDIAN VETERANS

TO TUX KIM-OR OF " THE "fRtSS.'' hlr,—Mav I ugain -draw attemicn to the scurvy "troatiu-ent of the Army and Navy peiit-jouors o; tli-o Ciixn-an ami Indian wais of about iifty .v«are ago. Tiit-re aro 'some of t-e_- veteruus in this colony expected ny the liriti-h Government to mako a dot-en: .xisienc. on a sh-illing pr day. Tins 7s a woo„ have boon somo h.lp to the •**>*■* diers when youn.; moil and ablo to enter in oc.up_t.-n_ whor© they co" make a living How many of tiie heroes oi Alma. Inkermann, lJaiaclava. and iScbat»top.l. of Oud,\ lie. ' and Lu.know, have d.el m absolute poverty and .ufffnng lor lack ot _...o ordinary necessaries of lifo? Is »t too lato to remind the anthoritus that as thoso viteran*-*- pr.w older they requiro moro care? .Since tho pension funds havo largely au a. .ilatvd ..h. renin inin_; men bo moro ncc-m ly provided for. Somo few luomht. ■_;.*•- tho Govern-ment invited anplicatkjiis from tho In !i_n --.uiviv.is to itn-.iv Uici: claims, and I am nt-w, in reverence to ono implication. wat<' •-<z what tn. effect will be. In An ust. 1900, I rcpie-cntel a oa.so t-o My I-cri--ami oilier Comniifsiom-ra cf tn* Chelsea Hospital, who havo control of tho Oriiiuan pciv.--.on fund for an incr.as* to a very do.-ervin_*; man. Their r* ply w-.ut tliat h ha;.*; twelve pence p>.T day, anl they h".d v.n power to iiien.i.e tho amor.mt. In another .n.-tn.-.TO I -ipprrKiohod My Lord--, etc.. for the amount of a pen-■cio-i that h-id rot br<-r, lifted fcr thirty yeari*;, cir fern portion of tho amount. The anpiiea.li*: h'-'d be n a farmer, nnd had never hr*i*-d cf any penmen till his far-iin? did not -iicred, and I pressed him to apply, with the result that while the twelve pence a d*-iy was at £.rar.t.-d- the Ovnmivfii-o.ne.in wore stony-hearted enough to ren:-; any part o"f the pension ivhioh iv.*ip <].:- anil payable from the date of h:* dis-cha-rfio "after tho war. I exported when Lard lUnfurly readied Kiv.d-i.-.d th l-cn-ion question for veterans would bo ToetifMMl. but there ore -till pome of tho men who fought Englrnd's hardest batt.lcs who can jii'tly t-\y isliaii-e on the Empire for which they received wounds and underwent priv.-i':—6. C'overnnT-T.t that can Pr|iiai'd,r hnn-dro-ls of tlioii«iii<l:> on army f-t-rjr- c:: which thievi-h con-t.raetr-.rs h-.vo prown fat. t-houfd bo a.-lia.mod to ;i'hv "tj-.c nian b-hind tho pun*' and others whn«xl their e.r\brtt> ar.d (- to bee from door to dr.or, •.:> that tho charity nf tin i>ublic ir-ay V.eep them from absolutely dyii'-s on t!io rr.*j<Lside. I a-* refr.rrinp to m<>n who cannot pr> to t■]•••■' Vctorans' Homo, as its acconvecd 11 ;c-i is tin'v very limited.—Youis. ft.*.. J. L. W.