PENURIOUS PENSION PURVEYORS

NZ Truth, Issue 570, 20 May 1916, Page 3

PENURIOUS PENSION PURVEYORS

1 AND PATRIOTIC , PUBBERY PROMOTERS ■' BftDLY BiFFCD ! Iy " BROWN v How Parasitical Profits are Pilfered from the Public ■ ■ >'>' ' , • :-v -V..:

Durlng the debate In the House, on the Address-in- Reply, Mr. Vigor Brown (Naplor) said ha>wae one of the "mem* bers who during last session had urged that the ''scale 'of war pensions should bo augmented,,* Ttye reply had been that the country cpuld not afford to, pay more. But the i pensions had -£bt to be paid; and the money had to ho found by the wealthy— by , the ... peoß^ who had -'snared' the £9,000,000 made In the Dominion durfngf the previous year; v There was --no.* shortage -of money, and, the bounden duty o| the Government, find of Parliament, -vyas to see that the Bold ievs and.; their dependents received proceeded to quote the case" of a woman whose husband had been killed at Gallipoli. She had oiae child, and managed to earn 7s 6d 4 week n •>-\ ■■'■• BY CLEANINQj WINDOWS^ After licr hUßband's dea^h, phe appUed to the Pehsipna Board and waa grnri^d a pension of 25s per week for herselt and the child.. Wh«p representations were made to the board on her behalf the reply received w;as that the board bad grunted, tho woman the amount to which it believed she was entitled. 1 he board had deducted from her pension |he amount she ; recJßiyed for cleaning, Windows. -. ■ ; .. o '. I i^ I ■■■■:.< Xii \ :• At this point the Hon. Allen 4 yr^a s,» •, Indiscreet as to interject, "That is qul.o Incorrect." : . ■;>.' . But Napier's "Nabob" wasn't to be caught napping He. quietly j-replled; "Will Mr, Ailon do trie th* honot^ toHsten;till I finish my 'stofy ?'■ T,hen r ; he : proceeded to "put m" the fPllowing correspondonce. which he read to .explanatory comments; On hearing of tho treatment received by tho lady m auestlon, Mr. Brown, who, at, first, doubted the accuracy of the allegations, wrote to the Commissioner of f»enßlons the following letter: ,f , Naples Nov. C, 1915. Mr- T«\ Fache, Commissioner, olf Pensions, „ Wellington. Dear Slr,-»A lafly In my constituency, whosa lui«|bnnd died while on sorvico at the front, has rocely.ed a certificate No: D 92, which entitles her to a pension of £& 8h 4d per month. Is this correct? She has one ohiUl, about three years of age. Is she not entitled to'thcsumi Of five BhllUngs -"pipr woelt for this • child? Apparently, she is getting only the pension «ho herself 5s entitled to, the child not being allow- ?. ltd for. Kindly icjt mo know what tho position 1b and obltgo.— Yours. •■"''■ jf. . V. BROWN/ tfo this Mr. Brown received the following reply: - Minister.-* Oimcc, P.D.. Wellington, Nov. 16, 1915. WAR PENSION D. 92. Dear Sir.— l ha^o to advise that ttoo War Pensionst' Board, having regard to the provisions of; tho War Fenaionß' Act. has graniecLthe lady |p quP3tion the. amount to which thoy think sho is Pintitlod. You are. «t course aware, that tho ampuats tot out m tho schedules of -the (Act jure tho maximum: pensions vthataro payable.— Yours*, otol, A s -: f > < ? ARamUR M. MTERS, ! ■'. Minister of Ppnslphfl. ' •'Noto." commented Mr. Brown; ".that tbft Mlnlstar «ays that the BoSv ; dhad tmnted 'the -amount to which thoy lhlnftv«Uft la pntlileiil.' But what :tho Jionrd thinks and what the Act says uo Mot lwrmonieo." Mr. Brown again «rrot«: Napier. Nov. 17. 1915. Hon. Mr. A. M. Myers, WiHlflter of Penalons, Wellington. .. j>pnr Slr.-r-l ■am In receipt of ynurs of tho 13th liist. re War Pension D 92, and note your reply. Wbat I want to know la why this

lady does not get , the full pension that Is allowed by law. ■ You might ; kindly answer this question. — Yours, etc., . •«* ■■;•-? *;-.;■■- v J. Y. BROWN. That: drew from the Minister the following? •■■■■■■'3 ■';■- "■■•■■ ' • Minister's Qfllcc P.D., ..•-,- Wellington, Nov. 22, 1916. s WAB iPENSIOND 92. Dear;Sir,~^he reason Why this pensioner was not granted the * maximum pension allowed' by, the law, is that the War Pensions' Board,/ under' the powers given to . .it by Section, % of the War pensions' Act, " has ' taken into ,'cohsi- " deration the earnings, of the pensioner.—Yours, etc., ... r ARTHUR M.MYERS, ■..•;.'■ '<. „, Minister of Pensions. .: "The Defence Minister," remarked Mr, Brcgjrn, , 'teaid ray statement was 'quite liKsOTtNHst.' v H^re is thisarae statement over the signature of the Pensions' Minister: 'The Board .'.. has taken Into consideration the earnings of the pensioner. 1 ; > l -.-y<- . .E^CACTLY WPIAT I ASSERTED. The /Board m effect, confiscated the hipnoy.'Wlilch jLbls poor; woman earned cleaning windows! But my diligence wasn't. to go unrewarded, without me knowing why. Tjwpntyrflve days subsequently I received this other letter from the Minister." Mr. Brown then read: . .. i ■ ; ..-..<■■.. Minister's Ofilce, P.D., Wellington, Dec. 17, 1916. WAR PENSION D 92. Deai? Sir;—- 1 have now to inform <you that at a recent meeting of the War Pensions' Board the case of the abdve pensioner was considered, and the full pension of £66 per annum granted to the widow and £13 on account of> the child. The : nccossary instructions have been Issued to the Post Office to 'pay the increased amount as from the date up to which the allotment of her late husband's . pay was made.— Yours, etc., . . v, AUTHOR ,m. MYERS, Minister of Pensions. Mr. Allen: ."That's what I said. She has the full pension." Mr. Brown: "She has— small thanks to the Government or tho- Pensions' Board. You did not give It willingly. \o\x had; to. Be dunned into giving it. The. widow should reqelve her full pension even If she is earning £$ a week." After referring to another case, Napier's-, Nabob asked contemptuously: "Is it ;any wonder that Conscription is necessary when the National Government treats soldiers m such a heartless fashion?" \ Mr. Brown then turned to a consideration of the cost of living, and deall out som.ohtu-a knocks to the profit pilfering provision merchants after which, ho said, with the air of a innn obout to MAKE A STARTLING REVELATION: "I am going to refor tp another commodity, and that Is liquor. I may fas well bring this forward, since I am m the business. I any novor ashamed of anything I am connected with and If there 1h anything wrong I will bring It forward, whether it affects my pocket or not. There J« a T-lqu or Merchants' Association In Wellington compo»ed of a number of wealthy firms 1 bclievo the secretary Is a certain Mr Kernot. Some si?t'.;"wcekß after the outbreak of war, my*itrin received the follow! ' Sir wire from the Wellington Wlno aud Spirits Association: Wellington, 28 Sep. 1914. ,Nenl Close, Napier. ■•••.■■■ Advance Hennessey's, ?s 6d; . GHboy'B, 2» 6d; Burnett'a. 2s 8d; Geneva, 6b; Hedclo'g, Is 6d; Qla-

. : ger Wine, 2s; Champagne, 10s— : Wine: aiid. Spirit. Association. %as on September 23, 1914," said Mr. Brown. "Now,' Hennessey's brandy was not increased m price till seventeen: months afterwards and then only 3/- not 7/6. Gilbey's dry gin was increased \/:-* three -months afterwards and another 1/- fourteen months after. ;:lt: has,, to .rJsev&ifOther; sixpence yet before it reaches trie price fixed six weeks after war by the PATRIOTIC PUBBERY PROMQTERS of Wellington; Burnett's Old Tom had gone up a sixpence -the same month, another sixpence m July, 1915, ' and an additional shilling m January last. It has another sixpence to go before it reaches the price fixed by the Wine and Spirit Association twenty months ago. Geneva gin increased 1/3 m July, 1915, a shilling further m December; 1915, and 2/- m January last. In all, Geneva had gone up 4/3 after seventeen months, during the whole, of -which time the' Wellington spirit trade were charging 5/- increase. They still are charging 9d more, than -the manufacturers have put on. Hedele's cordials never increased at all.' They are charging 1 , and have charged f of the past twenty months 1/6 increase on. former rates. The some can. be said of ginger wine, with the exception that the increase has been 2/-. .Champagne has not: been increased -in price by the Home exporter, but Wellington Wine Merchants' Association increased it by 10/ -s six weeks after the outbreak of the war. Each and every, one of these were illegitimate charges made for the purpose of extracting war profits from the public, and the proper thing; for the Government to do was to CONFISCATE THEM LOCK, STOCK AND BARREL!" Mr. Brown, continuing, said that his firm had been asked by the associated merchants 40 put up his price for Dewar*s whisky by 3s a case. He, as managing director, had refused to do it, saying that until the price was raised/by the manufacturers he would not raise the price to New Zealand people. The result was a visit from; an agent, who' said (that unless the firm agreed to follow the lead of the others the agency would be withdrawn-* The reply was: . *Take the agency^ away as soon as you like. No war 'jbrflfits are to be made by this' firm. >We will -not bo robbers." He subsequently r&eelved notification from : J"ohn Dewar and Sons, Scotland, that •the agency had been withdrawn, andC he had sent the following letter m reply: .• V ! ■ iC ' Messrs. J. Dewar and Sons, Ltd., ■ ./'...- Perth, Scotland. ■ Dear Sir, — We are m receipt of yours of the sth November, 1915, * informing us that your Mr. Fowler, who has made a tour of New Zea- * land on your behalf, Ms reported ' to you, and that you have decided to place Napier and Ha wke's Bay under tho control of your Welllng- : ton agents, and also that they are making arrangements to work this ground m conjunction with other parts of territory which they control. You, therefore, say that you regret that you cannot make any further_Bhrpments to. our firm. We have no objection to your taking away the agency, or transacting your own buslnesss m: your own way, but wo strongly object to the position your Mr, Fowler took up when he called upon us, asking us to raise the price of your whisky, so as. it would bfe sold at the same price that some of your other agents were selling it at. We were perfectly satisfied with the profit wo were getting on your whisky, , and, as you had not raised the price : to us, naturally; we -did. not do so, adding only the increased freight and insurance. Your Mr. Fowler . asked our Mr. Vigor Brown to raise the price, and; he refused to do so, saying that until the firm at Home invoiced the price of the whisky at a higher rate, he. would not agree to i*dd anything to it m. the way of getting extra proflt owing to the war. . •.'.■» There is no doubt about it that some merchants m New Zealand have combined to make a war pro- / fit. When war broke out we were instructed by the Wine and Spirit ' Association to raise Heanessy's brandy ts tfd a. case. We were then -■- advised to raise it 6s, saying that the first price . was a mistake. Hennessy's brandy is still invoiced , at the same prico . as before the •war, and. we refused to moke war profits. Our ilrm are what we might call ''British Colonials," and we are not going 1 to make any money out of the war, feeling that any firm that l» low enough to do so ought to be lv Germany. When Parliament meets the whole thing will be brought before 411 c Housu, and Now Zealand will be shown what certain firms have done during the war, m the way of getting war profits. Wo have enough documentary evidence to fill a few pages v of "Hansard," and after the matter \ has been brought before tho House, > we are going to ask for a commission to be appointed to inquire into the profits that have been made by several British firms trading m New Zealand, agreeing tlirougli their agents, although the goods cost no more (with the excoptlon of tho extra freight und Insurance), to put up tlie prices 3s and 4s a case. It is astonishing to find that we have people m the Empire who will endeavor to make money m this fashion while Britain's existence is hanging m the balance. We notico by Home papers that several KncHsh firms have been heavily fined for supplying Inferior goods under ttiolr contracts. It seems v pity that tho law will not allow them to be shot and placed put of the way for ever. However, this is only our opinion of florae at the leading British merchants. Wo think there must be a £ good . deal of German blood In the veins- t>f some of our so-called Englteh merchants, and i also m those of their repe.. otherwise we should not road m Homo papers the accounts we -do* of the glaring robbery that has beon K°'"& on tfine"e the war started. — We aro, ' NBAL. AND CLOSE, LTD. J. Vigor Brown, Managing Director. "It scorns to me," concluded Mr. Brown, amid loud applause, "that everybody 1« boh>K allowed to plunder everybody ol«e whlto this war l« on." A lending wine and spirit merchant '• has explained to "Truth" that Mr. Brown's firm overlooked tho Important fact that, while It was true that distilleries had not Increased prices tit iht> time referred to, the rise m freights and insurances compelled tho Nuw Zealand merchants to pa«» on the extra ' coat.