WAR WIDOWS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VII, Issue 2127, 8 December 1920, Page 11

WAR WIDOWS.

ANOMALY IN PENSIONS ACT. j At the meeting of the Canterbury , Patriotic Fund to-day, Mr W. E. Leadley, secretary of the Keturned Soldiers' Asso- . ciation, referred to an anomaly existing in the War Pensions Act. Mr Leadley said that under the present Act the , widow of a deceased soldier who married , in England was not eligible to draw a , pension unless she proved that she was j engaged to her late husband before he , left New Zealand. That was quite im- , possible in most cases, as most men did not meet their wives till they went to , England. If a married man lived and , came back to New Zealand the wife then , would be able to apply for the pension, , and many such wives were getting the ( pension. He knew of one case, for in- , stance, where a man went to France and - was invalided to England, where he mot t his wife. He sent his wife to New Zea- , land, and returned to France and was , killed. The wife -now had a child, but was ineligible for a pension because she could not prove that she was engaged to her husband before he left New Zealand. Such wives sought assistance from patriotic societies, which were called on to do work which was really the work of the j Government. These widows and their I children were not being assisted as well . as they might be if the Government undertook the work. Mr Leadley moved: "That this executive of the Canterbury Patriotic Fund calls the attention of the Govcrn--ment to the anomaly which exists under the War Pensions Act, whereby the i widows of soldiers who were married abroad are ineligible for a pension tin- ; less they can submit proof of pre-War engagement, whilst the wives of disabled soldiers who were married abroad are eligible for a pension without having to submijt such proof. This execu- i tive urges the Government to take the ; necessary itepa to make such widows eligible for the pension." Mr W. Eadcliffe seconded the motion, ; which was carried, several members ex- ; pressing dissatisfaction at the attitude i of the Government. ■ i