PISTOL AT THE GOVERNMENT.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 5853, 28 September 1917, Page 5

PISTOL AT THE GOVERNMENT.

OVEItiwAR PENSIONS BIEL. _ ELECTION THREATENED. Electric Tei|^ S r l . ai> jj—Press Association. xr Wellington, Last Night, he Representatives went into to-night on the War Pensjons A f«fementßilL zs isiawsa- <st3se w humi 7»»j«is ill the *° N ™ ZfaliUKiin the Doi^f l I >erla ' 1 Army as to men Wright puf almon .Army. Mr R. A. ninti#' lDt a similar plea for men xx>ntendeciji? 1 r P Mr J. V. Brown in the "be dependents qt men der the Grt vGßpho commit suicide unas a result ('■ft. 1111 1Itary 1 tary excitement, eeive the p*l | p shell -shock, should rebread -win as 'though the n ih 1 n Drcrease The *il IcSfliiMKvKi vernment to in- j 5s to 7s 6d‘pt IWnces for a child from ; sa 1 the Mr J McCombs 1 to feel SHHB IViSlorl evei T ' h sitiou in wh i< Kdissatisfied with the po- | Vplaced bv ;h flph their dependents were; iWhat Thev u Mp|l3li<venirnent proposals, allowance! \ JEgantbed was a straight-out : fori- n Boa Jp»ithout having to go be- j (h taib reg and prove all sorts of * C J Pair § arding their position, jir [ anct' for f f con tended that the allow- I w■ k pi* Ig a child should be 10s per j form of jjP Mire 011 '{Hit, also, to be some | the pw-JF appeal from the decision of j ar j-u- j pensions Board. Dr. Thacker j mot hiit was absurd to ask the ho keep their children on 5s w eok • when it was costing the flmntry 10s 6d per week to feed German prisoners on Motuhi Island. Mi- H. Poland took exception to . the pension of £2 per week for a to- ! tally incapacitated man while a widow could get £4 per week and 7s 6d for every child. The whole position was not creditable to the country.

The Minister, in reply, said if New Zealanders joined our forces in England they were regarded as members of the New Zealand force. and were entitle dto the benefit of the proposers in the Bill. The same pension applied to men in the motor patrol, but the question of whether these men would be allowed to apply to the Financial Assistance Board had yet to be considered by Cabinet. The Financial As ststance Board to date had granted relief to the extent of about £61,000 per year. He considered that the ease of a- widow whose husband had committed suicide was provided for in da ■use 15. He could not agree to a Court of Appeal against the decisions of the Pensions Board. Air T. M. V ilfoitl asked the Premier b he would give the H<nise an ample opportunity of discussing the regulations regarding soldiers’ allowances. If that were done, it would facilitate the passage of this Bill. The Premier promised that this opportunity would be given as soon as the M inister of Defence was able to lay the regulations before the House. \ axioms speakers urged increases. I Sir .Joseph Hard said members should * not- make appeal to class, which all wished to help. \\ hen an emnnous undertaking had to be shouldered by the Government it was useless suggesting increased liabilities. If there were members prepared to point a pistol at the heads of Ministers, let them do it. The pensions twelve months after the Seconld Division entered oamp together with allowances, would amount to £3,100.691. The House must remember that it passed six o’clock closing, which meant a loss of revenue, and that the increases in old age pensions meant £300,000 extra. If things went on this way, the Government would have to put a 2s 6d tax on tee. instead of 3d per lb. and a duty of 3d per lb on sugar. The estimated balance at the end of the year was £1,200,000. Supposing that everything went well this estimate could not be exceeded by more than £1,500.000. There were proposals in the Bill, and in connection with other stems, which meant at least £3,000,000 beyond the amount of the estimat'd surplus at the er<d of the year. The Government was stretching its finance to the utmost limit, and if the Hcu.se insisted upon its demands, it would have to give the Government another £1,000,000 in taxation. The attitude of members suggested, that they were pandering to the Second Division.

Mr McCombs: If you ask the House for the money we will vote it 1 Sir .Joseph Wart]: You voted against the 3d tax on tea because you were afraid some of the electors might object. Let us put our taxation Tight first, then you can talk about increasing the p'-nsions. Mr Hindmarsh contended that the liberal provisions of the Bill had only been extracted from the Government by pressure from the Second Division. Mr Massey complained that the Government was not being fairly treated. A pistol hail been held at the head of the Government and they had b<-en told that this Bill was going to be held up till the demands of certain members were granted. But be was not going to stand that. Some members bald recently been asking for a general election. If they were not careful they would get it, and as the Representation Commissioners would complete their work in a few days, the elections would be held on new boundaries. The Government could not do mores than it proposed in this Bill, aiKl ho asked members to supf»ort the Government and not forces New Zealand into quitting from the war. He did next wish to appesar pcw. i mis tie but he was bound t>o say tbnr, ii these demands were forced ii|sin the Government, then thesro must bo £1.000,000 increase in tho taxation, and wluu they came to do that to what source, collll tb<v turn Neither land nor income could stand any more and only the On stoma was Id.t. They knew what it meant to increase the CuHtoms. Members of the Government were just as anxious as anyone else to do their beet for the Second Division, and he resented merrdery endeavouring to score* a political advantage. I (Left sitting.)