WAR VETERANS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23059, 9 June 1938, Page 16

WAR VETERANS

PENSIONS CONDITIONS attitude of government PRIME MINISTER'S STATEMENT , Tho Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, has sent tho following message to the Herald with reference to remarks made by Mr. J. W. Kendall, president of the Auckland branch of the Returned Soldiers' Association, when speaking at Whangarei on Sunday night:—

"In your issue of Tuesday last a paragraph appears from your correspondent at Whangarei stating that Mr. J. W. Kendall, president of the Auckland branch of tho Returned Soldiers' Association, at an ex-servicO-men's reunion at Whangarei on Sunday night, stated that 1 did not agree with his opinion that men who broke down in the service of their country were entitled to better treatment than civilians, a.nd that I had stated that they were not entitled to more consideration.

"I have telegraphed to Mr. Kendall asking him to indicato tho occasion on which I am supposed to have made such a statement and have informed him that I was telegraphing to j;ou giving an emphatic denial of having made the statement or of having given the impression to apyone that that was my opinion. ;• "My views- as to the treatment to which war veterans are entitled were made clear during the last election campaign, and I still adhere to them."

It was stated on Mr. Kendall's behalf last night that he was seriously indisposed and that he did not intend to comment upon the matter further at the present time. He stated, however, that the gist of his ismarks at Whangarei "had been correctly reported.