“BURNT OUT” MEN

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 197, 18 May 1936, Page 3

“BURNT OUT” MEN

Allowances For War Veterans Reference to the passing of the Veterans’ Allowance Act, 1035, and o£ the War Pensions Amendment Act, 1035, is made in the annual report of the Wellington Returned Soldiers’ Association. The latter extends the benefits of pensions lo widows of soldiers who married within seven years of discharge aud who died o£ a war disability. Describing this legislation as the most important results of the annual conference, the report continues:— “The prematurely-aged soldier lias presented a difficult problem. . . . These men are known as ’burut-oiit soldiers.’ They were unable to prove that their disability was caused by war service and thus were unable to lake advantage of the War Pensions Act.”

After defining a "veteran,” the report proceeds:—

"This provides for recognition o£ members of our New Zealand Army Nursing Service and for the ex-service-men who actually did tlie fighting •with a unit in actual contact with the enemy’—this term is the simplest and plainest that could lie designed and definitely covers the men about whom the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association has been so concerned, Ixcause of their inability to prove their disablements as due to war service, to the satisfaction of the War Pensions Board. It also provides for the New Zealander who lived in New Zealand but for various reasons served with some other of his Majesty’s forces (e.g., Australian, Canadian, British, etc.) am] provision is also made for (he New Zealand veterans of the South African War.

"in addition to the above qualifiea tion of service there are provisions that the veteran shall satisfy the War Pension Board that he 'is unfit for permanent employment by reason of physical and mental disability, and that be has resided continuously in New Zealand for not less than five years immediately preceding the date of his application for an allowance.’ (Continuous residence is not interrupted by ‘occasional absences’ from New Zealand not exceeding six' months ki Hie aggrogale.) “.Some criticism lias also l>eeii levelled at the term 'unfit for permanent employment,’ but tins, in effect, is intended |o convey the meaning that the applicant could not. owing Io Ins disablement, follow continuous employment even if it were available for him.”