WAR PENSIONS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2703, 24 February 1916, Page 6

WAR PENSIONS

HOW THE BOARD-WORKS TYPES OF CASES i, . THE STATISTICS TO DATE t In; the past two weeks applications for military pensions have been coming > ( in for' consideration by the Pensions 1 Board much more rapidly than former1\ In the past fortnight 126 applicai i tions-were, received from soldiers and !■ Ci .froin' dependents. ' r ■ The Pensions Board dealt last week M ■ with 100 claims, 67 from soldiers and > 3.) from dependents. Of tho 67 sol-'-i diers, 12 were granted pensions, 36 were | granted allowances, 10 were declined, i und 9 wore adjourned for further infori mation, Of the 33 dependents, who ap- ; plied, 29 received, pensions, one (the : wifo of a soldier who also " got an al- : lowanee) received an allowance, 2 wore ( declined, and 1 was adjourned. ■ The • pensions granted to the 12 "soldiers t were as under:—2 at £78 per year, -1 at £52, .1 at.£39, and.-5 at £26. i- The following are 'the particulars of i; the claims dealt with to date:—.

:: . Soldiers: ill'.pensions granted, 164 allowances, 44 applications declined, 19 '.'-claims adjourned, 41 still on hand;

total, 379. ' 'j ' : Dependents: 491 ponsions granted, 4 i- allowances, 40 applications ,declined, 8 adjourned, 23 on hand; total, 566. Ineluded in the 5l)l. dependents' who re- ; ceived pensions 112 were widows." ' IA grand total of 915 claims.; i Tlie total annual value of pensions granted is £26,925. No Claim on the Sfei'.e. }':■ One of-the difficulties which the anil.:",' thofities met: in. 'tlio .Carlv.' months Of ; the administration of the War Pensions •.. Act was the apparent reluctance of I ;'so)diors 'to "apply .'for pensions, even though they were obviously .entitled to

. them. - This reluctance ■is not now. so I apparent, and an increasing number of men with slender claims:on the. State, r w with no'claims at all, are applying. ; Last week ten soldiers' applications I Vere refused-: — ■ •

The following particulars of the cases show the evidence, on which the board Vefused the applications:— 1-. Suffering-from--injury to the back, the result of accident while on leave t'ibm camp. Never been on active service. 2. Deafness. ' Occupation is such that defective hearing does not impair usefulness. Evidence was that man was deaf I 'before he'enlisted. : ?; ■ 3. Ear trouble, lioug-standing, not contracted on service. • -'■ . . , ■ ~: 1.-TSar ah old complaint of four, years' standing. Not contracted on service' -I —-* ■ / ,i----5. Injured by horse rolling on liim. Discharged in September unfit, but now .reported to.be' fit and well.6. Sprained-ankle and deformed/foot. Sprained ankle was injury on active ser.Vice, but.sprain is cured. Foot was ;aleformed before:'man enlisted. -.' T Disjharged unfit in October last. 7. Hern'ia.-'Not' contracted oil service and not caused by military duty. 8. Enteric. ; ..Now., completely, recov■ered.*' . . 9. Wounded in left hand, which is 1 slightly , damaged. ... -Reports-showed that since discharge applicant has taken part.in.swimming sports and.so on,-and : iS/perfectly"fitVanci , -'well. K 'V *' '•' " 10. Discharged ' for general "debility.. Now fit'aiid-'well. - - .-•••' '* How Widows Fare. The demand for pensions for dependents as of right is still being made, but' now the' demand-is usually confined, to pensions for widows and' children of soldiers killed. A-few cases dealt with last week will show the board's policy in dealing with the claims of these dependents: . - •• , ' '1. AVife of a lieutenant—a reviewed case. Previously was granted HX per ,-week. Applicant is a, school teacher earning £130 a year. She', married: her husband on the eve of his going on active service, but did not give >up her appointment. In view of-these circumstances the hoard some months ago gave her a reduced pension of £1 per week, but her case was reviewed last week,- and she was granted the. full pension'of £104 a year. None of tho circumstances have changed iu the m'eantimo. ■ '>■ 2. AVife of a private killed on Christmas Day., No children. Has a"homc' valued at £800. Granted the full pension.of £65 a year. , '3. AA'ife. of sergeant-major. , One child. No.:incomo,or property. Full pension granted. £88 in all. 4. AVife of captain. Three children. Applicant has some property, including nbout £500 insurance money. Granted full pension of £2 os. per, week" and ss: for each of three children.

o. AA'ife of lieutenant. ' Her income from her husband's estate is £260 a year, and in addition she received £1000 under an insurance policy. -"Granted full pension of £104 -a year, and £13 in respect of each of two children-; £130 in all. * " " ' '

Recently the board has never refused to grant the full pension to any : widow applying, and the great: majority- of those to whom reduced pensions were granted under the policy followed some months ago have since had their cases reviewed,, with the. result.- that theirpensions have been .increased to - the full amount. _ Almost invariably tho wifo of a private soldier Teceivcs the full pension. .Practically the only exceptions are in the cases of those women who have not been living with their husbands, and have not been supported 3y them. • ' - -