TREATMENT OF SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3085, 16 May 1917, Page 7

TREATMENT OF SOLDIERS

SHE DUNEDIN STATEMENTS REPLY BY SIR JAMES ALLEN

. ft«ply was made by the Minister of iterance yesterday to the very serious charges of maladministration made against his Department, bv the-Dune-draw ar Relief Society. ". "The neople ttfio made these remarks are certainly not fair," said Sir James Allen. . instance, with regard to' the firsts item: Promised financial assistance, £o men going on active serV ' C V The reglations are not surrounded by any official rod-tape, and it is absolutely incorrect to say 'that the •Governmefitis looking for every possible. Voophole to avoid doing what it, had advertised it was Willing to do. That, la n , total mis-statement of fact, an s 1 ?"'6 it a most emphatic denial. "There are ; " ho went oh to .say, n 'three classes of soldiers \vho had to be dealt with in regard to financial assistance. Thero is the man who was balloted in, and who appeals.' The arrangements for such men are that ithe Military Servico Board considers the question of financial assistance ..when hearing the appeal. If tho aboard considers that financial assistance ought to bo given, it recommends ■accordingly. Until the board receives »n answer to its. recommendation the :inan is not called up for, service. If /'the- answer is not satisfactory, the board can allow' the appeal. There is bo possible hardship in such cases. .' "With regard'to theman who volunteers, the same provision had to be •vnade for him, pnd to tho very largo tiimber nf men at the front, to whom 'the privilege bad '■' been extended, of .making application' for this financial assistance. It was not possible to send these men to the Military Servico Board, and the law said that their cases should be dealt with by the. Minister. As the Minister could not him'se.lf deal with the cases, he sot up a Central Board,: to which the applications are referred direct. • Indeed, the recommendations from the Military Service Board go to the Central Board, so that there l may be uniformity in decision, as riear as possible. This Central Board; if it wants local inquiry, refers, tho case to tho Military: Service 'Board of the district, or it may •: seek information from other sources, i

■ '-"It. is truo that in l 'tho, early stages (if the scheme applications came in .pretty rapidly and accumulated;- but they, are being rapidly dealt with by .the board, which is, aB far as I am able to judge, doing splendid work. ; "Apparently, the Dunedin Association -has again raised the question of Iho_ mufti: allowances of 30s. I have again to point out that the mufti allowance isan 'addition to what is pro-vided-for every 6oldicr, the details of whichi can be foiind in paragraph 5 of the Returned Soldiers' Handbook.: •■"The Dunedin Association also raises tho question of'men who break down in camp being turned adrift. I am .asking-them'.to supply, me with tho ; uames of some of these, men. I should like to inquire into their cases.- There are men who go'into camp and who do not ■ disclose previous weaknesses to the Medical Board. In some • these weaknesses-are discovered in a day or two, and they are discharged. I canliot see that they have any claim, upon the .Government. In other- cases, -a man may go in with a pre-existing 'trouble, and camp life may aggravate it. Those irien are entitled to apply for a pension. It is quite possible that some of them have, not received the pension. I would like to hear about those.. .• ... ."At .any rate, we -have,quite recently amended the medical - reports by providing that - the . medical officer shall

clearly state if the trouble is aggravated during the man's period in camp or on servico. If tho report was in the affirmative the War Pensions Board would He, entitled to grant a pension.. The law in regard to a man in training, if his disability arises jn camp from his occupation there, is just t.ho same as for inen.on service. The man is entitled to a pension. ;"\Vo have also, in the later attestation forms, made provision that a man must answer a question as to whether or not he has had any previous disability. If he answers the question incorrectly- he is liable to prosecution. If we.do not take precautions of- tho "kiitd the public' will be imposed upon. Finally, there is the complaint about tho delay in the dispatch of military pay. I have written asking for specific cases.."