"IT Vi A SCANDAL."

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 15972, 14 November 1919, Page 7

"IT Vi A SCANDAL."

To the Editor. . Sir, —It" is with a good deal of interest I read one of your leaders in Saturday's '"Herald" with reference to soldiers' pensions and medical treatment, Under the heading- of "It Looks Like a Scandal." Unfortunately there is no need to go all the way to Dunedin to look for such cases, and I do not think there is a graver injustice more existent in New Zealand to-day than some of the decisions of the Medical Boards meted out to some of the returned soldiers they come in contact, with. There is seldom a day passes but what I hear of complaints of unfair treatment, and in a grei'.t many cases it does not need even the expert knowledge *of a doctor to know therw is something wrong with the soldier concerned. Oho of th« decisions which seems extremely popular with the Medical Boards 13 pre-war disability. Just imagine for one moment a soldier being accepted as fit A, serves three or four years under conditions which, thank God, only exist in war, arrives back in New Zealand probably not feeling too well, ordered to rospital, discharged, and informed that lie cannot bo granted a pension, as his complaint is a pre-war disability. His disability did not prevent him being accepted as fit A, did not prevent him marching 25 and 30 miles a day, ofttimes getting wet through, and to finish up a good day's work by sleeping in a paddock with, the gate open, did not prevent hirn from partaking of food which, often made one wonder what his digestive organs are really made of, and altogether submit to duties which only men of good physical standing could possibly endure. All these and many others he bore with his supposed disability, yet like thousands of our boys have found out that war strain must eventually tell, and he arrives back in New Zealand Unable to follow his civil occupation, is denied what is due to him—a pension—because lie suffers from a pre-war disability. What an insult to men who Lave served their country so true and well. I have at the present moment a case which is typical of many. This soldier ' tried hard to get away with an early reinforcement, but on each occasion was turned down suffering from gastritis. When compulsion came into force lie struck the lirst ballot, was then acoepted as fit, and left New Zealand with the 30th, Reinforcements. Needless to say, he did not much service, and his subsequent training soon discovered hie weakness. He was sent back to NewZealand and discharged without a pen-sion—pre-war disability. This man before the war seldom lost a day's work, but has now to battle his way through life practically a physical wreck. Even those soldiers who are fortunate enough to secure a pension have come to me unable to pay their way in life, seeking assistance, proving only too well the inadequacy of the pension granted, and I often wish at those moments that Sir Jamas Allen or some other responsible Minister was present when some of these cases eomo before me, for I still believe even a politician has a heart, although some of their promises do not give you much heart. Sir James Allen, in a statement to \ tho press, sltated. that outside of I Dunedin he has received no complaints