DISABLED EX-SERVICEMAN

Evening Star, Issue 20316, 26 October 1929, Page 20

DISABLED EX-SERVICEMAN

COMMISSION 0F ; INQUIRY EVIDENCE OF SOLDIERS The commission set up to investigate the' possibility of providing economic employment for ox-servicemen who, through .war disability, are not at present capable-of adequately ’supporting themselves or their dependents continued its sitting thip morning. The commission consists of Mr J. S. Barton, . rj.IVL (chairman), . Sir John Luke, and Mr S. J. Harrison.; ■" Mr J. M. White (secretary of the Dunedin R.S.A.) • intimated that he would call as witnesses men of the various categories. into which he had classed the various .cases. . A MONS VETERAN. The first witness this morning was an ex-imperial soldier, who said he enlisted in the Scottish Rifles in 1906. He served with his regiment in Scotland, Aldershot, and then in India and South Africa. He returned to Glasgow in 1912. Ho was stationed with his regiment in Glasgow until war broke out in 1914, when they were sent to France, arriving there on August 13. The regiment served in the retreat from Mons, and on August 26 he : was taken prisoner at Le Cateau. ■ From this date he was interned in prison camps in Germany until after the armistice, when he was released, and returned to England on February 19, 1019. He then rejoined his regiment, and remained in Scotland with his unit until September 14, 1919, when the regiment was drafted to Ireland for duty. He remained with his regiment in Ireland until April, 1921, when he was finally discharged, after completing fifteen years’ service. He received a pension of 10s per week for a heart condition for a period of about two years. In 1921, after the award of his pension, be proceeded to New Zealand, arriving in Dunedin, and obtaining employment'of a casual nature until he secured a permanent job with the railway department as a labourer. He followed tnis occupation until he had heart trouble and hemorrhage in February, 1928. As a result of his illness he had not been able to resume work, and so far no light employment - had been offered to him by the railway department. He received by way of sick benefit pay 25s per week, also 7s 6cl ner week from his lodge. He did not expect the sick pay to be a grant. Ho considered he was fit lor doing work of a light nature, if this could bo secured, but so far ho had been unable to obtain work which he thought he was able to do. . In reply to questions, said his Imperial pension was now discontinued. He was now. living in a Red Cross Home, paying 25s a week. Mr White said that where men were suffering from a disability not due. to war service, the Red Cross authorities would take them into a home. Witness said he would be prepared to take a job as porter, messenger, or lift-man in any part of the dominion. THREE YEARS’ SERVICE.

The next witness said he enlisted in August, 1916, and was on active service for nearly three years, and was eventually discharged on a pension, which was subsequently reduced from time to time, and then discontinued. He followed farming occupations -till 1926, and since then had done casual labouring work. In May, 1928, he_ incurred an injury for which he received treatment in the Dunedin Hospital. Ho understood the diagnosis indicated that a hemorrhage had occurred. Since his recovery ho had been medically advised not to undertake the heaviest class of manual work He found that it was very difficult obtaining work of a light nature, and since his illness lie had only„.been employed on different occasions for various periods. He con-, sidered, however, that he cotilcl thoroughly do work of a light nature such as gardening, crossing-keeper, lift-man, or any other work which would,not demand very hard exertion. Mr White said that witness’s leg still troubled him, but the Pensions Appeal Board said that his leg was not a disability. The chairman suggested that one of the doctors to be called before the, commission might examine this witness.

SOUTH AFRICA AND GREAT WAR The next witness said he was born in 1866 and was an old boy of the Otago Boys’ High School, which he left when he was about seventeen years of age. After working for his parents, he went to the West Coast and engaged in the engineering side of goldmining. He enlisted for the South African War, and, after brief service in Africa, he was discharged, and accepted .his discharge in South Africa. He remained, in Africa, engaged ,in mining work for about two years. As his health was unsatisfactory, _he returned to New Zealand on medical advice. He was suffering from the aftereffects of dysentery and malaria. He later went to the West Coast, and again worked there. In January, 1916, ho enlisted for service in the Great •Van and was posted to the_ artillery. After nearly two years’ service abroad he returned to New Zealand and was discharged in August, 1918. For six months he was granted a pension, of £1 a week, and for a further six months was granted 10s a week, the pension then being discontinued. Later he was a sufferer from a miner’s trouble, and received a pension of 25s a week. His health had never been the same since the war and the stress of service was partly responsible for his present condition _ He had been unsuccessful in obtaining a war pension, notwithstanding the fact that he had appealed and had his case considered by the Appeal Board.' In view of his unsatisfact >ry attempts at work, even of a light nature, he did not feel that he was fit for any regular employment. The Chairman: You were a youth of fifty when you enlisted for the last war? Witness “ Yes.” He added that they were glad to get him at the time. Witness expressed his willingness to try work which might suit him. AN ARM WOUND. Another witness enlisted in February, 1915, and after being woupded in the arm returned to” New Zealand in 1918. ■ He was under hospital treatment till 1920 when he was granted a permanent pension of 25s a week, and that was later increased to 27s 6d a week. He lived on his pension and did casual work when obtainable till 1928, when he obtained his present employment at £2 5s per week. He was a tradesman, but could not return to it, as it required two good arms. He could make rubber stamps and do a certain amount of signwriting.

The next witness said that after serving over three years in Egypt and France He was invalided home, and about two months after his discharge he resumed his former 'employment, hut owing to indifferent health and acting on the advice of a medical adviser he! resigned his position, and with, a little capital of hii- own and more he borrowed he commenced in business, only to have a serious breakdown about

eighteen months after, when he was sent to Hannaer Springs for treatment. Since then he had been in hospital twice and an out-patient once. He had given practically everything a trial, but felt that he had or was losing confidence in himself, while at the same time he was quite certain that he could, after a few months’ work at his old position, hold down the position -with the nest man. He had passed all the necessary examinations. At the present time he and his family (wife and five children) were existing on the pension (barely £4 per week), while he could be employed to better advantage to himself and the. State.' He would like to be given the opportunity of taking up‘his original employment or financed to carry on market gardening and rabbiting. As regard:- the latte., he had, through a friend, acquired a small holding of nearly an acre which he had started to cultivate, and which leait itselt to ah .cleai position tor early crops and poultry or breeding of Chinchilla rabbits; He found that that class of work (gardening, etc.) was beneficial to his health, but he lacked the necessary capital to start as he would like to. LEG INJURIES.

The next witness said he enlisted in September, 1914, but was discharged on account of an uusatisiactory pnysical condition. In October lie joined up again', and sailed from Wellington with the Second Reinforcements on December 14, and, after a brief period in Egypt, landed with the Main Body at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. After a few days’ active service he was invalided back to Egypt through trouble with Jus teeth, anti returned later to Gall.poli, serving there for a period of approximately two months. On August 5 lie was invalided to imbros, then to England. In November he went into Weymouth Camp, and had trouble with his feet and legs. He was retained at Weymouth until Janu.ry. 1916, when he was transferred to Hornchurch on account of foot trouble, in October, 1918, he was admitted to Tidworth Hospital with pneumonic influenza, and wa-’ transferred ,to London for return to New Zealand. In November, 1919, ho was operated on in a hospital for throat trouble at the instigation of the military authorities He received military discharge from the New Zealand Expeditionary Eorces on account of illness contracted while on military service, and was granted a pension of 15s per week after examination by a Medical Board, After leaving hospital he was employed with a firm of carpenters under arrangement ‘ with the Repatriation Department,Which paid a portion of the wages, bringing the total wage to approximately £3 per week, and the work was continued until he entered the hospital for hip trouble in November, 1921. While undergoing treatment in the hospital his pension was discontinued, About May or June he was discharged from hospital, but was unfit to do any further work, because he was still under treatment for the leg as an out-patient at the hospital. On September he again entered the Dunedin Hospital, and treatment was continued off and on until November, 1923, when _ an_ operation was performed on his hip. He made application for pension periodically during treatment, and an appeal was eventually lodged. The matter had been taken before the Appeal Board, but the board did not consider his hip condition attributable to war service.

In March, 1924, he commenced business, but owing to it not coming up to expectations it was closed down in March, 1927. Since that time he had (when opportunity offered) taken odd jobs, chiefly clerical. Be considered his earnings during the past twelve months had not exceeded £2 per week. In 1929 he was again admitted to the Dunedin Hospital for two operations. Be _ considered he was suitable for clerical work, provided such was not too involved, working a lift, timekeeper, or some other light occupation which would not involve too much standing on his injured leg. CLERICAL WORKER. The last witness said ho went overseas with the Main Body, and about June, 1916, he developed hemorrhage of the lungs. He was returned to New Zealand in 1916, and was in a sanatorium till January, 1917. He received a pension, which had continued at various rates, and at present was at the rate of 25s per week, plus .30s economic pension. He did clerical work till 1925, when he had to undergo further treatment, and for the last three years had been dependent on his pension. He could still do clerical work. The commission then adjourned till 10 a.in. on Tuesday.