MILITARY PENSIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20841, 7 April 1931, Page 12

MILITARY PENSIONS.

Sir, —The indignation of Mr. C. (.5. Nicol at Homer Lea's'estimation of inefficients among enlisted men is very belated,. as it lias been accepted without question by every military writer, critic and historian except himself. The explanation is v not difficult. It is quite obvious from the admirable history of tho Auckland Mounted Rifles that his services was entirely in the front line. He apparently has no knowledge of the con- . ditions pertaining from- there to the primary enlistment office. Moreover, a regiment that was composed mainly of the first volunteers for the. war was not likely to contain men who at first convenient opportunity would parade prior disabilities or magnify minor ones or display early war weariness. The urgent call for men toward the middle and later stages of the war brought a class of enlistments or conscriptions whose percentage\ of inefiicients passed well beyond Homer Lea's figures and elicited the well-known dismayed statement from Lloyd George. Mr. Nicol has overlooked the rejections from the secondary detailed examinations and the elimination of the unfit during, primary training at the home base, tho disclosures of unfitness during transport and at the overseas training bases. Ho has also d-verlooked. the losses not duo to enemy action and accruing in the ordinary stress of a soldier's life and duties. If the disability manifested itself within a period less than the average stay of a man in the line, about three months, then that man was not worth the money expended on him by his country and it should have been the duty of the State to cut the loss quickly. Unfortunately the group above-mentioned makes' every attempt to perpetuate the loss, and our complaint is that wrongful pensioning is an injustice to the State and to the comrades. In contrast, the other 50 per cent., gave New Zealand its proud position in the world's field of honour. It is enough that the enemy on the Western Front termed them a steel division. The for- • tunes of war naturally took the heaviest toll from the bravest and they represent mainly our dead and wounded. It- is our contention that the severely maimed, ' such as limb amputees, are not sufficiently pensioned with less than the basic wage regardless of what else they can earn. These men freely offered their lives for New Zealand's honour and their countrymen should recompense them to the full extent of their ability. But New' Zealand can only afford a certain amount and we contend that the other 50 per cent, should not lie allowed to pilfer the just reward of the brave. There are many well-authenticated cases men contracting illnesses during service and they are properly provided for. Any man who served in the trenches in the autumn, winter or spring, could not reasonably be excluded from pension benefits if he subsequently developed T.B. In connection with this, it is interesting to note that the gas treatment authorities have stated that men affected by gas are practically all dead or well in three months. Most of the other claims for disabilities not. received as the result of enemy action 'require the closest scrutiny. The military history sheets have not" confirmed some of the many compelling tales of the vicissitudes of service. Tho War Pensions Hoard dealt liberally with all cases where any reasonable grounds for giving assistance existed. The present position is that the Pensions Department is apparently defenceless before tho Returned Soldiers' Association and the Appeal Board. Sir Walter Stringer, whoso kindness is proverbial, may have allowed the pendulum to swing too far. The' Australian papers have recently published a report from the Auditor-General disclosing many cases of gross abuse of the pension system. It, is more than probable that they have occurred in this country. The Returned Suliders' Association, with its lovo of fair play, will surely initiate a movement for a commission of British pension experts to go over the New Zealand cases and investigate any alleged cases of pension abuse. Tn conclusion, there is a reference by Mr. Nicol to a "particularly poisonous insinuation ' about a certain class of case being pensioned. The publication of a denial by the Pensions Department that actually contracted during service have ever been pensioned would *Hay. th® suspicion aroused. - ' Akajuna.