THE EPIDEMIC.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16437, 3 February 1919, Page 8

THE EPIDEMIC.

i 1 |j PENSIONS- QUESTION. ! CABINET'S DECISION. i The relation of the Government to j sufTorers by the influenza epidemic was fully considered by Cabinet on Friday, so the Hon. G. "\V. Russell informed a j ''Press" representative on Saturday. ! It.'was resolved, .he said, that tho ad- ■ ministration of assistance to widows and j widowers with children bo under the i Minister of Public Health, and that j orphan children be placed under the : administration of the Minister of Edui cation, who administered tho infant ! Life Protection Act, and therefore pos- | sesscd the necessary machinery for the j adoption of orphan children and their j control. The Government did not pro- : pose to pension women without children who liati be on h-fl widows by tho epi- ' demic. If any. however, were in necesI sitcus circumstances, they would be re- ! -quired to ;nuke application to the Hos- ! pita! and Charitable Aid Board in its ■.ordinary capacity lor affording relief. ; Tho Government did not feel disposed j without the authority of Parliament, to I lay down the principle that a woman j without children who had become a widow through the epidemic should be treato:! differently to others who had I bo mine widows through other causes. I It was intended that the relief should

j bo given through tho Hospital Boards, I The proposal to sot up another body fox i the purpose- was - not considered practicable, but in order chat the cases of these widows might be removed from tho ordinary principles and methods of ! charitable aid. it was intended that the ' Hospital Hoards should, under section j (i f of the Hospitals Acc, 1909, execute j the power? therein conferred upon j them of setting up committees which ! might, include persons who were not j of the Board. These corni mittees. subject to the control of the Board, would have the general administration 0{ : the matter in respect of which they were set up. "It was proposed that tho Hospital and Charitable Aid .Boards be requested to set up in each district a- committoe of seven, upon which theie should be not less than three outsiders, preferably women, i Tho selection of the outsiders was, howover, left to the Hospital Boards themselves. The officers of the Boards would then act as advisors to the committees, and a committee would report to *its Board which, in turn, would pay the, relief to the pensioner, and in turn account to the Public Health Department.. "In this scheme," continued the Minister, ''the objects have been-two-fold. The first is to secure expert assistance by utilising the .Boards' officers for the assistance "of the sufferers, the second is to protect the taxpayers upon whom the responsibility will rest. The special to "bo set up will work under the name of Social Welfare Committees, and Hospital Boards will bo requested as far as pos-

I sible to dissociate the work of these j committees from the ordinary charitable aid servicc. _ As_ to the nature and extent of the relief, it has already been resolved that children, whore necessary, are to be assisted to the extent of 10s 6d per week per child. Each case will require to be its merits, and no fixed amount will he laid down except the payment to children. _ Thero in ay be cases where it is considered just and proper that assistance should be given to a mother for her children, _ but not necessarily for herself. A widow will only be assisted so far as that assistance is necessary for the sake of her children. It is not proposed that a woman shall be enabled to lead an idle life because she has one or two children. While the State provides for, the children, the mother must be encouraged to help herself, and it will be the duty of the. Public Health Department and the Social Welfare Committee to-see that the children receive the full benefit of the State's assistance. In the case of widowers, assistance will be given only where the man's earnings are insufficient to provide for the children and for

a woman to keep the, home together. Une case that has come beforo me al.ready is .that of a man in constant employment earning £4 ner week. His wife died, leaving three children. I hardly need say that in that case the! man lias no claim on the State for a&sistance, as he is quite able to. providei tor his family. So far as the possos- - of property in any form is concerned., that will not bo held as a qualification unless the income from the property is sufficient-to provide for the wiuow and her children. Cabinet has approved of the payment to the widow! or widower, for herself or himself, of upi to 25s per week, where it is considered | necessary in the" interests of the cihil-i dren, and this will be given -where actn-. ally necessary on reasonable humanitarian lines. The question of relief to tho Maori population is one that has given much concern to the Government, but it lias now been det-erminod that tho Native Affairs Department shall administer the funds available for the benefit of the Maoris. Where necessary, this Department will seek the advice and co-operation of, the Ministers ofi Education and Public Health/- All moneys required for the scheme will be provided by the State, without the hospital hoards being required to meet! any portion of the expenses, and each/ board will be expected to forward to the Department quarterly reports of the administration by the Social Welfare Committee of the funds provided. "The scheme outlined " said the Minister in conclusion, "is one that has had to be worked out in the absence of, i legislation, but that legislation -will be; necessary next session when no doubt the general question of the widows' pensions and the relation of widows and/ children to the State will come up for consideration."

COMMiSSION OP INQUIRY, SITTINGS COMMENCE THIS "WEEK. Mr Russell Informed "The Press" representative that the papers in connexion with, tho Royal Commission appointed to enquire into matters connected with the. epidemic had been! passed through the Executive Council and signed by his Excellency the Governor. and tney had boen forwarded to the chairman of the Commission (Sir John Denniston) and the other members. The secretary of the Commission would be Mr Silas Spragg, head of the! Hansard staff, and two Hansard reporters had been deputed for tho purpose of taking the evidence. They would be assisted by additional reporters if required. The Commission would probably he constituted this week at a short sitting in Wellington, at which it would determine its line of action, and would probably indicate to the Health, Department the nature and elates ofl evidence which it desired to be prepared for its consideration. The Commission would probably start its reeular sittings in the city of "Auckland No ihdioations was given in the appointment of the a i

Commission as to whether its sittings were to be in public, and that matter would therefore rest wiih the members of the Commission. He, however, imagined the public would desire that the whole of the evidence be taken In public, and to this the Piiblic Health department would offer no objection.