THE PENSION ABUSE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7399, 15 September 1902, Page 2

THE PENSION ABUSE.

Dubing the passage oE the measuro through the House last sessio.n to, provide for tho payment o£ military pensions to members of the Stfuth African contingents, Mr Seddon emphasized the of guarding against such an abuse of the pension system as had been experienced in the United States. But if the Premier's action in the case of tha late Lient.-Co!oncl Francis is to be tiken as a criterion, he has afforded anotker proof of the fact that'he is quite prepared to copy other practices pursued in the States, besides corruption m the Police Department. The fact that Colonel Frauds was utterly unfit physi-; cally for active service years before he left for South' "Africa waß 'well known, although perhaps eyen that can hardly be said to be sufficient to bar the grant-. inn of a pension to his widow. But while tho pension of JB2OO a year given by the Imperial Government is justified by the fact that twelve months is allowed to elapse ■ between illness arid doath in tho Imperial Warrant, the fact that, our law only recognises sis months is good reason another .£2OO could not legally -Jbe granted in Now Zealand-^-at least unless a point is worked by tho Premier, aa was done in this case. Another scandalous thing in Connection with'^bur military pension system is that whiJo it is possible for an officer's widow to receive £400 a year, the widow of a trooper would be stalled off: with a few pence per day—and thu by a so-called Liberal Government!