EMPIRE SERVICE LEAGUE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21969, 28 November 1934, Page 8

EMPIRE SERVICE LEAGUE

CONFERENCE IN MELBOURNE CANADIAN GENERAL'S REVIEW IS * ' J§g| [bt 'telegraph—OWN cokbesfoxdentJ Wellington. Tuesday Outlining the questions of chief public interest dealt-Trith at the recent: Empire Service League Conference in Melbourne, Brigadier-General A. Ross, president of the Canadian Legion, who arrived from Sydney by the Maunganai to-day, said the British Government■was to be asfced to investigate, in conjunction with the Dominions, the posh tion of pensioned ex-Imperial soldier? living in the Dominions. These men, who had created a troublesome problem in New Zealand, Australia and Canada, and to a less extent in South Africa,had many grievances against the limitations of the British pensions lav and the inadequacy of their pension? under Dominion conditions, especially if they became unemployed or required medical treatment. General Ross was. .senior Canadian delegate to the conference in' Met bourne, which he described as being especially successful from the aspect of the exchange of views. The problem of' ex-Imperial soldiers living abroad, hj« said, had concerned the league for years, but'it been found impossible to get any of the Governments to accept any further respousibilitj- than they had already undertaken. It was hoped, however, that by the investigation it might be possible to find some way of alleviating the grievances of < men without requiting the Governments to depart from the hard and fast principle that they had an obligation only|f|| to those under their own jurisdiction-' Led by the Hon. W. Perry, M.L.C., of New Zealand, said General Ross, there had been an animated discussion at the conference on the subject of Empire defence, and a resolution had been passed stating that, notwithstanding the desire for peace, the Empire should' maintain 'adequate armaments for dfl-. ■ fence. • "