WAR PENSIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 25, 29 July 1937, Page 20

WAR PENSIONS

VETERANS' CLAIMS

CONSIDERATION URGED

I Improvements in pension provisions for New Zealanders 'and residents of New Zealand who served the Empire in the South African .War were asked for in a number of remits considered by delegates to the annual conference of the South African War Veterans' Association of New Zealand yesterday. The main requests made were for a 20----year-residential qualification, an increase in trie South. African War pension, and. that the old age pension should be granted to veterans at 60 years or earlier if there was war disability. ;, ■ -

| The. North Taranaki and Timaru branches asked that pensions or allowances should be made available to all British soldiers who served in South Africa, and who had resided in New Zealand for 20-years or more. The North Taranaki branch also asked that no deduction from the additional £13 to a South African veteran old-age pensioner should be.made on. account of other income; the Auckland; and Invercargill branches asked that the South African pension should be increased to £26 as promised by'previous Governments, and the Tauranga; branch asked for an increase to £50 a year. The Tauranga and Auckland branches asked for the old age pension for South African veterans at 60 years, and Invercargill asked that the age should be reduced to 55 years, as it had been established that a war veteran's expectation of life was under 55 years. Other remits asked .:or pensions for all soldiers who served in South Africa whether! in New Zealand units or not; for the same treatment for South African veterans as Great '.Var veterans; .that the Government should be requested to give the same allowance as-to earnings to South African veterans as to invalidity pensioners; and that men who served in the 9th and 10th Contingents, and who are iebarred from receiving pensions because they were never in engagement with the enemy, should receive the same pension allowances as ' other contingenters. All of these remits were carried without dissent.

Three remits requesting the Government to restore the grant of £500 a year for the assistance of distressed veterans not eligible for pensions were carried without discussion.