MILITARY PENSIONS ACT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3765, 26 February 1913, Page 5

MILITARY PENSIONS ACT.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER

[PRESS ASSOCIATION TELE GRAM.] AUCKLAND, Fob. 25. The latest information regarding the operation of the Military Pensions Act of last session was given to a “Herald” representative by Hon. F. M. B. Fisher. ‘'The scheme has been | eminently successful.” Mr. Fisher re- | marked. ~ "The total number of pen- ! slons under the Act to date is j 512, involving an annual liability or j £17’,300. There have been Sls iu- | quiries regarding pensions, and (00 of these have reached the Pensions Orfice in the completed- form. Or those applications on which pensions have ! not been granted, 79 have been rejected. principally on the ground that the i claimants were disqualified by posses- ! sion of income or property in excess [of the statutory allowances. (4 have been deferred owing to lack of evidence of issue of war medals, and 3d !aw under investigation. The possesi sion of a New Zealand U ar Medal is i an essential qualification for the pension, and,” said Mr Fisher, ‘'the veterans do not seem to comprehend that the medal was issued by the Imperial Government on conditions which are not subject to alteration bv the New Zealand Government. There are manv men alive who undertook most hazardous duties during the Maori wars, but owing to the condition prescribed bv the Imperial Government that the medal would be awarded only to men who were actually under. fire, many men are deprived of receiving decorations. That difficulty cannot be overcome by the New Zealand Government until the War Office agrees to alter the conditions upon which the medal was granted, and it is proposed to make representations to the Imperial authorities urging that- the medal should lie granted to these who underwent the hardships of the campaign, though they were not actually under fire.”’ Another regrettable difficulty was mentioned by Mr. Fisher. He said that a claimant for a war medal was required to produce a certificate that he bad been under fire, signed by the officer commanding the forces in which he served. Owing to the death of so large a number of the officers engaged in the war. the survivors had the utmost difficulty in establishing their qualification for the medal, though they are apparently bona fide claims. It is a matter for sincere ’regret that we are unable to overcome this difficulty, the Minister added. “Nevertheless it is gratifying that after a long period, of delay 312 veterans are to-day receiving benefits.”