WAR PENSIONS ACT

North Otago Times, Volume CII, Issue 13461, 4 January 1916, Page 7

WAR PENSIONS ACT

Jill VISION BY PARLIAMENT. PRIME MINISTER'S SUGGESTION, AUCKLAND, December 30. Crilic.ism has recently been directed at the provisions iu Ihe War Pensions Ad which authorise inquiries by the Pensions Hoard icgajding the circuinshinces- of claimants for pensions. Some remarks on the question were made yesterdav bv the Prime Minister, the Hon, W. i'. Alassey,

"The pensions scheme in working min h more smoothly Ihan it did at tint." said Mr Masscy. "The people are beginning to understand the Act better than they did. I am quite sure thai Ihe more liiev miderslaud the Act, the belter I hey will like il. hi many respedii il is' particularly liberal. A point ou which criticism is now directed is Iliiil there is no fixed pension for the widow of a man who has been killed. Onlv the maximum is fixed liv Ihe Acl, Thai, I think, is a mailer that will be dealt with by Parliiiineiil when opportunity oilers, along willi auv other defects that may be discovered in Ihe working'of Ihe Ad, II has lo be remembered llial the average of Ihe pensions granted by the board to widows is higher Ihan the maximum fixed in some of I lie oilier Dominions. Good as I lie Act undoubtedly is, I recognise that il. is capable of improvement, and I have not the slightest doubt that the necessary improvements will be made, II must always be remembered that the pension for the incapacitated man is fixed, though the degree of incapacity and 1 consequently the degree of earning power is taken into consideration l>y the board. For instance, a man who has lost some of the lingers of mm hand cannot possibly be given tho same pension as tho mnn who has lost tlio 'use of both