WAR PENSIONS AND BROKEN LAWS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 84, 6 October 1922, Page 10

WAR PENSIONS AND BROKEN LAWS

Under, the existing legislation an exsoldier in^ receipt of a war pension who is convicted of an offence is liable to be deprived of his allowance. The Returned Soldiers' Association objects to such pensioners being punished in two places, in the first instance by fine or imprisonment, and secondly by cancellation of his pension. Giving evidence before the War Pensions Commissioner this week, Mr. J. D. Harper, the soldiers' repre? sentative on the War Pensions Board, expressed the opinion that the pension should be reinstated when the term of imprisonment expired. The board used its discretion in the matter of curtailing the allowance, and in some cases made payments to the pensioners' dependants while he was,in gaol. He did not wholly agree with the suggestion of Mr. A. Macintosh, one of the'members of the Commission, that, on coming out of prison a man should forfeit his right to receive his pension direct. There seemed to be n certain amount of reasonablenesse in the association's claim. He did not think the pension should be interfered with in cases of minor offence. The chairman (Mr. J. K. Bartholomew) submitted that a, man was living at the expense of the country while in gaol, and that it was only fair that his pension should be reduced. Mr. D. ,S. Smith, the association's representative, maintained, on the other hand, that a war pensioner should not and could not. be deprived of compensation made to him by the country in gratitude for his sacrifices;