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Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144851, 1 December 1915, Page 2

In condemning the later views of Sir. Aslunoad Bartlett people are apt to overlook tho fact that it was entirely owing to his fine accounts of the original landing at, Anzac that the splendid work of the Australians and New Zealanders was recognised. Mr. Bartlett’s story reached every home in the Empire and was largely responsible for the very warm reception our men have received in Britain. If anything -Mr. Bartlett’s enthusiasm for tho Australians and Now Zealanders has recently been almost too abounding, when ho suggests that had they been on the western front tai morn might have beon accomplished. 'VA hile thoroughly proud of tho achievements of our men wo cannot believe that they arc so wonderfully superior to the Canadians, Indians, and British regiments which havo done such splendid work in Frame and Belgium. Lp to a point then Mr. Bartlett has earned the hearty gratitude of the Dominion as a picturesque historian of the deeds oi our men. It is when he becomes a critic of naval and military strategy that many of us feel inclined to dispute his authority, though it must he acknowledged that ho has had unequalled opportunities of discussing the situation with men at or near tho trout. The outstanding fact is that the passage of tho Dardanelles haa not been forced. The naval men on the spot thought that tho attempt might prove successful and took the risks. Had they succeeded no praise would have been too great for their splendid daring and enterprise. Our present knowledge shows that the attempt was doomed to failure without tho assistance of an adequate land force. One type of mind accepts the temporary non-success and does not condemn those who made so gallant an attempt. Another class considers that failure proves absolute incompetence, and considers that far more careful scrutiny of the conditions should havo been made before anything was done. These people havo tho advantage of prophesying after the event, hut forget that wero their counsel taken no army nor navy would over fight unless victory was absolutely assured. in ordinary circumstances one may allow full play for the views of both sides, but in tliis caso there is a feeling that tho critics after the event aro unduly I severe because their criticisms aro emi bittcrod by private animosities against Mr. Churchill aud other members of the Government.

"While tho holding of a. special session of Parliament, as advocated by Mr. K. Fletcher, M.P., would cost a lot of money which might bo usefully spent in other directions, there is little doubt that some action is necessary to make the pensions regulations more liberal. A man who proposes to olfer his services, on looking up the scale of pensions in the new recruits handbook, will find there that, in cas* of his death, if a private, his widow will be entitled to a pension of £1 os per week for herself and os for each child, with a maximum of £3 per week—that is. if he leaves seven children. He may say to himself; ‘'Good enough; that with the little I have saved, or the house I can leave them, will enable them to lire in .some comfort if I don t com© back.*’ Ho takes that os official and exact, but experience has already shown that when pensions are applied for, the fact that a man's widow has a little property or income is taken into consideration and the pension is reduced. Apart from the fact that this liability to a reduction of the pension is not made clear to the recruit before he finally makes up his mind to risk bis life, the principle is wrong. Two or three years ago Parliament established the principle, in the case of pensions to Maori War veterans, that the pension shall he paid irrespective of a man’s meins. He may be a millionaire, but that does not disqualify him from receiving th* full pension of £36 a year. It is a good principle, and the precedent should have been followed in the case of the present war. Under the existing regulations, ns interpreted by the Pensions Board, however, deductions are being made, and in some cases are already pressing hardly on dependents of soldiers who have fallen. Moreover. it is interfering with the recruiting of married men who are not able to leave their wives and families independent. So far as we can gather, there is a strong preponderance of opinion among members of Parliament, and also among the public, that the Act requires amendment in the direction indicated. - le it not possible, without calling Parliament together, for the Government to ascertain the views of the members, and if a substantial majority is found to be in favour of an amendment, to let it be known that an amending Act will be passed at the

commencement of next session and bo made retrospective in order to cover all the pensions granted in the meantime? That would allay a lot of uneasiness, though, of course, there could scarcely be an absolutely definite undertaking by the Government that the amending Act would actually be passed.