WAR GRATUITIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17270, 20 September 1919, Page 8

WAR GRATUITIES.

FLAT KATE OF 1/6 A DAY ALL NEW ZEALAND SOLDIERS KILLED AND WOUNDED MEN SPECIAL PROVISION MADE. DEPENDANTS' ALLOWANCES. TOTAL COST OF £6,048,380. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. Friday. Following is the scheme of soldiers' gratuities submitted to the House of Representatives this afternoon by Sir James Allen :— NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITIONARY FORCE. (a) Estimated cost of paying a gratuity at Is 6d per day from date of embarkation to the signing of peace, June 28, 1919, £5,075,000. (b) Additional to provide for a minimum gratuity for two years' service in the case of members deceased while on active service abroad, £225,000. (c) Additional to provide for a minimum gratuity for 18 months' service in the case of members evacuated to New Zealand from an actual theatre of war on account of sickness or wounds, £213,000. NEW ZEALANDERS IN IMPERIAL NAVAL AND MILITARY FORCES. (d) Estimated cost of paying the difference between the Imperial and New Zealand gratuity : — 1. Army reservists and Imperial soldiers, £16,000. 2. Naval reservists and members of the Motor-boat Patrol, £23,000. RETROSPECTIVE AND OTHER ALLOWANCES. (e) Retrospective children's allowance, £249,000. (f) Estimated cost of increased allowance to widowed mothers and other dependants on the revised basis of preenlistment support, up to the maximum of 3s a day, with retrospective effect if necessary, £50,000. (g) Estimated cost ol retrospective payment at expeditionary force rate of pay to members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (including home service branch) who received the lower territorial rate of pay for the first calendar month of their service in camp in New Zealand, £97,000.

(h) Estimated cost of paying the difference between the Imperial rates of pay and allowances and the New Zealand rates of equivalent ranks to army and navy reservists, nurses, and soldiers who enlisted in Imperial units, and to members of the Motor-boat Patrol who were domiciled in New Zealand :—L Married (less any supplementary allowance already paid from New Zealand funds), £18,840. 2. Single, £81,540. Grand total, £6,048,380. PENSIONS. It is proposed : — (a) To remove by legislation the restriction which now debars the payment of the disablement pension to-"the- wife of a disabled soldier who marries outside New Zealand after disablement, provided the marriage takes place during the period of his military service. (b) To give power by legislation to the War Pensions Board to consider for pension special cases where marriage with j a disabled soldier takes place more than l two years after discharge, if special circumstances warrant the grant of the disablement pension. _3 life insurance premiums. If a returned soldier, not in receipt of a pension, wishes to insure his life, any loading of premiums on account of impaired health occasioned by service will be paid by the Government provided that: (a) The insurance is effected through the Government Life Insurance Department; (b) the sum assured does not exceed £500 (c) the soldier makes application on or before December 31, 1921 ; (d) the soldier has paid the ordinary premium. Application should be made to the secretary of the Financial Assistance Board, Panama Street, Wellington. A lengthy debate followed upon the formal motion proposed by Sir James Allen, the Opposition asking for more time to consider the proposals. The debate was finally adjourned until next week. OPINION OF RETURNED MEN. GENERAL SATISFACTION. The decision of the Government in regard to the soldiers' gratuity appears to have given general satisfaction among returned soldiers in Auckland, but some of them, in discussing the matter last evening, stated that they were deferring judgment until further information was received regarding certain points. It was agreed that it was difficult to secure complete equality in the distribution of the payments, but the opinion was expressed that an effort should be made to reduce the inevitable anomalies to a minimum. General satisfaction naturally was expressed at the decision to allocate the gratuity on the basis of a flat rate. WELLINGTON SOLDIERS. TWO SHILLINGS A DAY ASKED. [BY TELEGRAPH. PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Friday. The question of war gratuities was discussed at a meeting of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association to-night and the following motion was carried with 12 dissentients:—"That this meeting of returned soldiers of Wellington instruct the executive to make immediate representa- 1 tions to the Government, the Leader of the Liberal Party and the Leader of the Labour Party, requesting them to raise the proposed gratuity for returned soldiers I to 2s a day and that the balance of the gratuity asked for be paid by the Government in war bonds tenable for five years bearing interest at 5 per cent, per annum."