“MISSING” SOLDIERS’ PAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3201, 21 July 1915, Page 9

“MISSING” SOLDIERS’ PAY.

ALLOTMENT TO RELATIVES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, July 13. A question relating to the payment of allotments of “ missing ” men was raised in the House of Representatives by Sir Joseph Ward, who said that cases had been brought under his notice by two parents, whose son had been reported as “ missing ” at the front a short time ago—probably a month or six weeks ago. A stoppage was made of 3s a day allotment money made by the man. A man mmht turn up later, but in the meantime his parents were deprived of the allotment. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. James Allen) said that in cases in which the law allowed a pension under the 1909 Act the payment was continued for 26 weeks pending the fixing up of the pension. The cases which were entitled to a pension under the existing Act were limited. What might have happened w’as that the father might have had allotments made to him, and if the son was killed or missing the pension was not payable to the father under the present Act. The 1909 Act provided for the payment of the pension to the widow of the soldier and her children and to the soldier’s mother provided she was a widow or could prove that her husband was incapacitated from earning his livelihood. They were continuing the allotment to the people entitled to that pension. When the Bill now before the House became law they would be able to continue the allotment to those entitled under the Bill to a pension until that became law. He could only comply with the present Act until that was done. He thought the patriotic societies might interest themselves in cases not benefited by the present Act.