EARNING POWER AND PENSIONS

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 27, 31 January 1919, Page 2

EARNING POWER AND PENSIONS

AN ALLEGATION DENIED

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER

FOR DEFENCE

QUESTIONS OF REPATRIATION.

The Minister for Defence, Sir James I Allen, attended the animal conference of the New Zealand Association of Nurserymen to put before the delegates the Department's side of a question arising out of a statement reported to have been made by Mr. G. A^-Green (Auckland): "That half the young fellows kicking about are afraid to take work because if they did they would simply be done out of their pensions. We.can get evidence in this room to-day of one man whose pension and that of his dependents was running into something liKe £5 per week. He was not well, and is not well to-day, but' the moment he took work his pension was cut off." The facts of the case were again stated. An ex-naval man with eighteen years of service in the Navy to his credit, was wounded and gassed and underwent six operations. When he first returned he received, together with the payments in respect of his wife and four children, about £5 per week. He received treatment for about three months and was then discharged. Some time later he was given light employment and received about £2 5s as wages. When uext he was boarded his pension was cut off, and, it was considered, had not strong representations been made, the man would still have been without any pension. The Minister said that he did not know the particulars of the case in question, and he would ask for a full report, but,speaking generally, he was deeply concerned about. the circulation of statements that were untrue. It was untrue to say that a man's pension was governed by his earning power. The intention of the Government, the Defence Department and the Minister wae to assess the pension only on the man's disability, and the state of his health. He wished to give an emphatic denial to the -statement that the pensions were reduced simply because the men were able to earn money. The Government was anxious-to do its duty to every returned soldier. The pension was fairly liberal and the administration was carried out according to the law. He knew of no single case where the adminstration was not properly carried out, and he could not allow, incorrect statements to go about New Zealand without correction. The newspaper report showed that there were cries of "Shame!" when the matter was brought up, but the Department had nothing to be ashamed of.

Sir James repeated that in no single case had a man's pension been reduced because of his earning power, but he pointed out that in very many cases the reduction of the pension by reason of the decision of a medical board that the man's disabilities had become less would be coincident with the earning of greater wages.

REPATRIATION MATTERS.

In regard to the repatriation scheme the Minister said that, it had been stated that returned men had to practically start life over again, and had there- . tore to be trained for their. new work. He would point out, however, that very many men had their old positions to return to, and therefore did not have to make, a new.start. Those who required special training would obtain it, in. England, on the transports, and in New Zealand. Though he was not prepared to 6ay that the organisation was' perfect the (government was always on the watch for improvement. Steps had been taken to reorganise the scheme, and to institute additional means. After discharge a soldier now came under the control of the Repatriation Board, whereas before he came under the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department.

Referring to the resolution suggesting that returned soldiers should have the opportunity of being instructed in agricultural pursuits, horticulture, and poultry-keeping, the Minister stated; that the Government had had such a scheme in operation for the past year, and that every returned soldier had been 'advised of these facilities and the provision of special training in such subjects as beekeeping, fruit farming, and [Joultry raising. Free board and lodging was provided on the farm, and in the event of that not being available sn allowance of £1 per week, over and above the pension, would be paid, to enable him to live-in the neighbourhood. However, since the middle of 1917 only 35 applications had been received from soldiers who desired to be so trained, and only seven or eight applications had been received from men desiring to receive training in general farming with practical farmers. The indications tended to show that a greater number of men will in the future avail themselves of the liberal provisions made by the Government.

The Repatriation Department had experienced some difficulty through the fact that the bodies empowered to set up local committees had mot done so, and, said the Minister, if they did not do so the board would have to do so itself. The local committees would enable track to be kept of every returned soldier in every part of the Dominion, to see that the men obtained positions, and to see that their interests were looked after when they had been so- placed. When a man could not genuinely obtain work the board would grant him a special sustenance payment while he was so out of work, but it did not wish to eucourage idleness, and this provision would have to be very carefully controlled. There was in addition another scheme whereby, the Departmental 6fficers with the 'approval of the local committees would arrange for the free tuition and payment of a sustenance grant, exclusive of pension, to soldiers while they were being trained in technical schools and other institutions, or completed their training under the terms of their apprenticeship. The Department was also empowered to grant a loan without interest for the purpose of the purchase of furniture by necessitous widows with children, or by necessitous incapacitated soldiers. Another proposal was that where an applicant for work, was sent to any place by the' Repatriation Board a second-class railway fare could be paid. In conclusion the Minister said that if cases in which pensions had apparently been reduced in a manner such as had been alleged again came before those present, inquiries should be made of the board's officers. . •

PENSIONS OFFICER REPLIES TO

STATEMENT.

Mr. George Facbe, chief administrative officer of.the Pensions Department, who accompanied Sir James Allen, also addressed the conference, and gave an equally emphatic denial to the allegations. By a former Act of 1915, the board had power to take into' consideration the earning power of the soldier, but. in 1916 the Government saw fit to insert 'a clause which stated definitely that in assessing a pension the board was not to take into account the soldier's income or his property. It was often Mis ctiflß, however, that when the pension ceased the soldier would find

ivi-"J Tlio pensions in regard to the .\iie and children were in ninety cases nut of a hundred assessed purely upon tiiu medical report of the soldier, often upon the report from overseas. At the end of the expiry of the time set as the pension period, the soldier was asked to present himself for medical examination, and the future pension depended entirely upon the report of the examining board. If the board's report was to the effect that the man was no longer suffering any disability, the pension would cease, but in certain cases the board had .power to grant a further amount as a gratuity; but. whereas the English practice in such, was to grant the sum" in a lump,'the plan followed here, which was considered by .the Department to be a better one for the Dominion, was to spread the sum out over a short period. It was .now three years since the first men returned from Gollipoli, and now men were coming before tile boards, and-their pensions terminating because they were no longer suffering from' incapacity. There had been cas<j%,,.where one doctor had given one opinion, and another another, and in such circumstances the Department had sometimes called in aitother medical man to settle the question. Objections had been raised to the centralisation of the- medical boards, and arrangements had now been made to allow the boards to travel from one. part of the .country to another. During the coming year it was hoped that the board would be away from its central town for* six months out of the twelve.

Mr. H. G. Cutler (Auckland), who first placed the matter before the notice of Mr. Green, said that he had not intended that the case should have been taken so much notice of. He was of the opinion, howeyer, that had the man in question nof been possessed of "push," he Would not have been receiving any pension at the present time. The President (Mr. Robert Nairn) thanked the Minister for his explanation and address on the policy followed, and to be followed, in regard to repatriation, and also said that New Zealand should be proud that the Minister of Defence was a man who had no hesitation in coming forward to put up a fight whencriticisms were levelled at defence administration.