LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17104, 8 September 1917, Page 10

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PRJVISTON FOR SOLDIERS AND THEIR DEPENDENTS.

Sin,—Tho value of the assurances of ado- \ quate financial provision which in tho early stages of tho war was associated with tho appeals to young men to enlist may perhaps be best gauged by some typical instances of cases of a returned soldier. A young man returns in indifferent health. He has to seek restoration by living away from homo for an indefinite length of time, and receives a pass on the railways and a full soldier's pension of about one-half of tho amount ho was able to earn at his own homo before ho enlisted. _ Again, a young mechanic defers marriage in order to enlist. Ho returns disabled from following his oulling. Before enlisting, his financial prospects justified his setting up a home,, but tho maximum pension from tho State falls far short of this. What is tho position of this young man? It is tragic. Tho Minister is given to drawing favourablo deductions from comparisons with tho provision made in other countries. The irrelevancy of such comparisons is small evident by a brief glruioe. at tho evolution that is taking place in the attitude of tho public concern for tho soldier. The claim is now being made that the soldier is entitled to full financial recognition for his time and services, and that the fact that ho is at tho same time making great sacrifice on behalf of tho Empire and of humanity generally in no way detracts from this claim. It is true that this aspect of tho position is as yet struggling for general recognition; and somo countries have advanced further along this line than other countries have done. But tho claim is indisputable, and what is being, done in ono country in this matter in no way affects the justice of the claim as set forth in another country. Tho Minister has said; "He did not know whether the country would stand discrimination betwo> n a man earning a good wage and a man earning a poor wage, . . . but rather they would raise tho status of the poor man." This statement carries a fallacy; it is inconsistent alike with _ the Minister's own words and actions; and it is a misrepresentation of what is being done in tho Motherland. There is nothing essentially wrong or undemocratic in a differentiation of the rate of pensions. The State is now paying its retired public servants pensions of varying rates, and there is no suggestion of a protest against the principle as being wrong or undemocratic. Discharged soldiers are allotted pensions according to tho rank held while on service. The democratic principle demands that there shall be discrimination according to the services rendered and the sacrifice made. To ignore these considerations is "Red Feddism."

Tho Minister's words and actions are inconsistent. Ho has asserted that the present scale of pensions, in which the maximum is 35s a \yeek, is ample so far as the Fust Reserve is concerned. In face of this, how is the status oi the poor man to.be raised? The attitude of the Imperial authorities is not a mere guess at a man's probable earning power in the future; but it is the expression of a fundamental principle which is a veritable triumph for the cause of the soldier. The pensions are awarded upon the basic principle that tho discharged soldier is entitled to an income equal in value to his financial prospects before the war. An accepted principle is a permanent force; it ever remains as a court of appeal to readjust inequalities. How does this principle compare with tho method in operation here? Avowedly at least, everything depends upon tho medical report on the individual case. No consideration as to how a man's injuries may affect his future earning power is to be taken into account. Tho loss of a leg has "its set compensation, whether the .man is a farmer, a bricklayer, a storekeeper, a lawyer, or the head of a large business concern. Similarly for the loss of any other organ, or limb,'or in the caso of a face disfigurement, the Minister holds it to be undemocratic to attempt to consider these things in assessing the pension to be granted. It is a much more democratic plan to assess tho financial value of every injury upon a fixed scale, partly definite, and of necessity, partly loft to the examining doctor—practical business knowledge is not required —and so raise the status of the poor men. The extent of this raising of status can be gauged when it is remembered that the full pension is about half the wages of a mechanic. Those of higher position can be raised up to the same level.—l am, eta, J. D. B. F. AMALGAMATION OF CHURCH FUNDS. Sib,—The letter of your correspondent "Puzzled" suggests the following brief explanatory statement: — (1) The sustcntation fund of Otago and Southland is made up of contributions from all the settled charges, and is applied, in an equal dividend to all the settled ministers. Last year this fund provided a minimum equal to a stipend of £;i3O. It is proposed to alter the regulations of this fund, doing away with the equal dividend, and substituting for it a scheme of "grants" providing a graduated scale of stipends from £206 upwards. (2) The Home mission fund amounts to over £7500 per annum, from which _ the committee grants some £600 to (financially) weak charges. It is this item that has come to be spoken of—inaccurately—as the "augmentation of stipends fund." (3) The proposal now is to create a. 6us-_ tentation fund in the northern section of tho Church, under tho regulations above mentioned. The fund does not as yet exist, except in the form of two capital amounts of £1000 and £127, the interest of which forms part of the revenue of tho Home Mission fund.—l am, etc., Alex. M. Finlayson. September 7. INDECENT ASSAULT ON CHILDREN. Sib, —Your correspondent Mrs Driver blames members of the City Council for being silent when the resolution of tho Riccarton Borough Council on the above subject was .before them. Personally, I attach more weight to the opinion of a judge than to that of any outsider, no matter how well-meaning he or she may be, and the reason I did not sp«ik or vote in favour of the Riccarton resolution was that a warning was given from the Bench to the jury, which brought in tho idea of flogging, that the effect of making, flogging compulsory would be to increase the difficulty of securing a conviction, as many juries would hesitate under some circumstances to convict the accused. It is one thing to rush in and. alter laws with the best of motives, but the result may be tho opposite of that intended. Every man at the council table would gladly hang out of hand, any miscreant who criminally assaulted the little once. It is not, however, a question of flogging but a question of what is the best method of stopping the evil. Tho duty of a councillor is to look after ratepayers' interests and to see that their money is spent economically—quite a big undertaking.—l am, eta, R. S. Black. Sm, —" Lay to your book "is an old Australian maxim. The rights and powers of borough councils are defined in the Municinal Corporations Act and other statutes, and beyond the powers conferred upon them thereunder they have no authority to legisDoes it not strike Mrs Driver that tho attempt to deal with political questions and dominion legislation amounts to a gratuitous interference with the functions of Parliament? ■ There seems to be a growing tendency on the part of borough councils, lodges, labour unions, and other organisations to attempt to interfere in questions of national importance irrespective of the fact that members of Parliament have been elected to deal with all subjects affecting the dominion as a whole. The growing desire of to overstep their functions should be cheoked, and if city councillors would only realise that they are merely ward representatives they would hesitate beforo expressing any opinion on national affairs which they were not elected to discuss.—l am, etc., K. Oamaru. THE PRICE OF KNITTING WOOL. g IRi "Will you kindly inform ma how many' pounds of tho raw material it takes to make one pound of coarse knitting wool? As the winter is fast approaching in Franco, and our dear brave lads will once more have to face the awful cold and hardships associated with a winter campaign, docs it not behove us mothers to see that are woll provided with everything that will mitigato their sufferings? And what more comforting than a pair of homeknitted socks to the poor, numbed, halffrozen feet? But, Sir. hew ore they to get those at the present price of knitting tcool? —8s per head, which means threequarters of a pound. Sir Joseph Ward would sooner tax tho poor man's tea than tlip rich man's motor car, but where are our ministers of the Goepol that they do not r<-.nd forward and sop that wo get justice for oar dear boys? If the women of New Zealand can get the wool, they will not want for socks, and surely'they should get of our l>ost —they who are constantly facing the risk of mutilation and death for thoso who are filling their pockets with tho war profits, while onr prngresshro Government looks on and smiles.—l am, etc., Soluisb's Book.