MILITARY PENSIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20842, 8 April 1931, Page 12

MILITARY PENSIONS.

Sir, —When " Aknrana" reveals his identity and states his cases I shall reply to bim. C. G. Xicol. 13/112.

Sir, —Your correspondent "Akarana" appears to make the extraordinary statement that something liko 50 per cent, of the N.Z.E.F. were what lie calls inefficients and that these men are now proceeding io pilfer what should be the rewards of the brave. To soften this extremely sweeping statement he refers to Mr. Nicol's service in the A.M.I?, when that regiment was composed of "first volunteers not likely to contain men who would parade prior disabilities or magnify minor ones or display early war weariness." It is well known, of course, that Mr. Xicol lost an arm at Anznc ami that bis actual war service terminated early. Being somewhat more fortunate, however. I saw not only tho first volunteers but also the later ones, and after that the conscripts. The amazing thing about the N.Z.E.F. was the extraordinary fashion in which men of all the war generations carried on through the unending toil, the real hardships and, if anything, the steadily-increasing horror of the war. It is no use "Akarana" endeavouring by a little judicious llatterv to drive in a wedge that would separate the men who stormed and held Chunuk Bair from the men of the Somme. Messines and Passchendaele, or from those who went by the road of Mood from Mailly-Maillet to T.o Quosnov. There is no doubt that the war revealed grave physical disabilities among many of those who not, only sought to but who did enlist. One of the bravest of the brave among the men of the Main Body got through, although he had varicose veins, badly damaged football legs and extraordinarily high-power spectacles without which he couldn't have hit an elephant at 10 yards. Tie fell at Flourbaix and his name is still like an old brave song to those of us who knew him. From the remarks of "Akarana" 1 take it that if this man had returned and had broken up and had applied for assistance, the l eplv would have been, ou enlisted knowing you were unfit. It was your own fault. We can do nothing for you." Naturally, the effect of the war was particularly disastrous upon those whose constitutions, physically and nervously, were weak. Surely, such men deserve the more credit for facing tho hazards of war gravely handicapped. At the present time it is common knowledge among men with any wide acquaintance among the ex-mem-bers of the N.Z.E.F. that a very largo percentage of men who managed to carry on for some time after the war are now commencing to break up. Especially is this the case among men who refused to go sick or wounded when they bad evety right to do so. The grave danger is that many of these men will suffer as silently as they endured and be more afraid of (lie red-tape entanglements of the Pensions Department than of the barbed wire and machine guns of the German Army. As the majority are married men, with young families, the distress is not confined to individuals only. If "Akarana"' seriously thinks that any appreciable number of exuiembers of the N.Z.E F. are abusing the privileges of the Pensions Board it is his duty to give details to the rightful authorities and back his statements with bis name. It is no use mentioning an Australian report and then making insinuations with regard to an entirely different set of circumstances. With regard I to his suggestion that a Royal C'ommis- ! sion of British Pensions experts be set up to investigate the working of the Pensions Board, I feel sure that neither the J Returned Soldiers' Association nor the general body of returned men would be willing to hand over their suffering com- ' rades to such a tribunal. 0. E. Burton.