LIMBLESS EX-SOLDIERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20162, 24 January 1929, Page 12

LIMBLESS EX-SOLDIERS.

NEW CONTRACT OPPOSED.

PROTESTS ARRIVE TOO LATE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OW)J CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Wednesday Discussing to-day a number of protests from limbless ex-soldiers forwarded to him in connection with the contract between the Government and the McKay Artificial Limb Company. Limited, the Minister of Defence, Hon. T. M. Wilford, snicl the protests had come too iate, as the contract was signed on November 26. 1928. -That was before he came into office, and for that Te-ason he could not accept responsibility for the contract.

"I have received a number of protests with relation to the contract," said the Minister. "The protests seem to centre round the fact that the Government has undertaken to purchase exclusively from the McKay Artificial Limb Company all artificial legs, arms and arm appliances It is not actually correct that the Crown is bound to purchase exclusively from the McKay Company, for in the contract it is provided that the Crown retains the right to older 15 per cent, of the total annual orders for complete new artificial legs, riot including 'peg' legs, direct from the following companies in EnglandJ. L. Hangar and Company, Limited, and 1 ocicstros, Limited. "It will thus be seen that 8o per cent, of the orders for complete new artificial lees, not including 'peg' legs, must be bought from the McKay Company This contract remains in force for three years from October 1, 1928- There is. of course, the provision in the contract that if the company shall fail to obscr\e the condi tions then the Crown may determine the contract

''One of rnv correspondents suggests that I should permit of the choice of two or more firms for the soldiers to deal with The Auckland returned soldiers support the protest of the Dunedin men, and the Chrint church limbless soldiers t ask me to hold the contract in abeyance* until limb less men have opportunities of testing the makes of limbs The protest of the Dun edin returned soldiers is against what the> call lhe proposed contract for the supply of artificial limbs with the McKay Cornpan v. "The answer 1 have to make to those protests is that- they have come too late. The three years' contract with the McKay Company \vas signed on November 2b. and all matiers m connection with the contract were completed on that. date. I cannot accept responsibility for a contract signed on November 26."