On This Day, 10 September 1918

Birmingham Daily Gazette

Tuesday 10 September 1918

PENSIONS MINISTER HECKLED.

Opening of Birmingham Exhibition.

LIVELY PASSAGES

A number of discharged soldiers sought take advantage of Mr. John Hodge’s presence at the Inter-Allied Exhibition of the work of disabled men, which was opened at the Birmingham Town Hall yesterday, to give vocal expression to their grievances.

Both the Lord Mayor (Sir David Brooks) and the Minister of Pensions were frequently interrupted. While Sir David dealt tactfully with the interrupters, Mr. Hodge challenged some of their statements and entered upon a lengthy defence of his Department.

The Lord Mayor had not been speaking more than a minute when a reference by him to liberal pensions and allowances resulted in a considerable disturbance. “Not enough,” “A scandalous pensions – that’s all we’ve had so far,” and “Inadequate pensions” were a few of the cries raised in various parts the hall.

“These are surely matters that can be discussed on another occasion,” his lordship urged.

“Why not now, while Mr. Hodges is here?” someone asked.

No Questions.

Sir David ruled that questions could not asked and suggested that the disturbers should be asked to leave the hall.

“Plenty of us will leave,” one of the most aggressive interrupters said, but he remained to heckle Mr. Hodge.

The Lord Major declared that disabled and sailors must not remain as a separate class, and be unable to earn their own living. The best that we could do for them was not too much. We must see to it that there was equality of treatment for all men, whatever part of the country they might live in. More power and more discretion ought to be vested in local committees, so that men might be furnished, with as little delay as possible, with the appliances they required. In this city about 15,000 men had been discharged from the Army, and the number of discharges per month numbered from 400 to 500.

More Interruptions.

Mr. John Hodge observed that during the Lord Mayor’s speech some criticisms had been indulged in. He (Mr. Hodge) had never said that men were getting all they were entitled to, but they could not make improvements interrupting a speaker. Aggrieved men ought to make their representations direct either to the Prime Minister or the Pensions Minister. (A Voice: “Without any answer being sent.”)

“That is not true,” Mr. Hodge retorted.

“I’ve sent you 30 letters and have not had a reply,” the interrupter said.

Mr. Hodge appealed to other discharged men to say whether he had ever neglected a complaint they had made him, but it was impossible tell whether the response was favourable or otherwise.

Mr. Hodge mentioned that when he became Pensions Minister complaints were being received at the rate of 1,000 per day. Now the complaints numbered only 100 a day. That was because the machinery had been so greatly improved. To-day the work of the Ministry was being exceedingly well done. (Applause and voice: “Never.”)

The King’s Fund.

The people who did not make mistakes were dead, “and if you have never made mistakes you have never done anything,” Mr. Hodge told a man near the Press table, whereupon the man addressed replied, “I want to see you do something in the Pensions Ministry.”

Continuing, Mr. Hodge said he was anxious to create a pensions or treatment reserve, and to appoint a hundred disabled men who had made a study of pensions to go through treatment reserve hospitals to tell the men what the State was willing to do and to give information respecting pensions.

The King’s fund had been objected to on the ground that it was charity. (A voice: “So it is.”). Could any of them have dispensed with the Red Cross in France? Could they have done without the Y.M.C.A. (A voice: Yes, thousands of us”.)

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