SOLDIERS' PENSIONS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16219, 23 May 1918, Page 5

SOLDIERS' PENSIONS.

THE FIRST PAYMENT. Considerable correspondence lias 01 late been passing between the secretary of the local Patriotic Fund and the secretary of the "War Relief Association of Wellington, regarding the interval which elapses between the ceasing of the pay of a soidier on his discharge and the receipt of his first pension money. The secretary of the "Wellington Association wrote, under date IViay 16tli last., stating that his Association had considered numerous cases in whicn, owing to the tremendous numbers ol claims on the Pensions Board,, soldier.-) had sometimes been unable to recent the first payment of their pension? until some two or three weelis attc; discharge. The matter had been takei. up by the Minister of Defence, and he had dealt with it by authorising t!u War Pensions Board to issue, in certain cases, a provisional certificate authorising payment to the pensioner of 3(Ji per week until his claim had beei. dealt with, that provisional certificateto bo in trie hands of the discharge, soldier on the day on which his sei vice with the New Zealand Force, ccased. In explanation of this, a letter was enclosed from Sir James Allen, dated May 11th, stating: " . . ..tjys matter has been thoroughly gone into, and as a result it has been decided that in those cases where it is not possible for the War Pensions Board to deal with a soldier's claim in time to permit of the first instalment of pension available under the existing regulations, being paid on the due date, a provisional certificate will be issued authorising the payment of a flat rate allowance of 30s per week, and this it is proposed to have in the hands of the pensioner by the date on which his service with the military iorce ceases. It is hoped by this system to do away with the complaints that arise from soldiers not being able to maintain themselves in the early stages after discharge, and I have already had an indication that the proposal is one which meets with entire satisfaction. It may be mentioned that the issue of this provisional certificate, which will be available up to the date of the Board's decision, will not apply to those soldiers who are recommended by the discharging Medical Board for pension. The claims in t£.ese cases will be submitted to the Board immediately they are received, and the decision, favourable or unfavourable, will be communicated to the pensioner without delay. As to the payment of instalments in advance. I regret that it is not possible for me to accede to this request, as it touches on the basis of the payment of all classes of pensions in New Zealand. The gap that is so often spoken of is not more than the gap that takes place ordinarily between any two payments made in regard to any regular income, and while it is recognised that in a number of cases the soldier has very little coming to him on the date of his discharge, this is more a matter controlled by himself •rather than bv the Pensions on Defence Departments." Regarding the matter of civilian e3othing for returned soldietrs, Sir James Allen wrote to the secretary of the local funds on Mav 6th, stating that after various unavailing conferences and the submission of certain proposals to the Returned Soldiers' Association it had been finally decided to place the matter before the annual conference of returned soldiers in Auckland this month.