DR. M'ARTHUR'S WIDOW.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1923, 4 December 1913, Page 7

DR. M'ARTHUR'S WIDOW.

STATE AID SOUGHT. Tho Public Petitions Committee of the iHouso,<)f( .liqpreseutatiyeSjrepprtqd yesterday upon a petition By .thewidow of the late Dr. M'Arthur, S.M., asking for a compassionate allowance for services rendered to tho Government by her late husband. The Committee recommended that tho report should bo referred to the Government for favourable consideration. ' ' Mr. W. H. D. Bell (Wellington Suburbs), who presented tho petition, thanked the Committee for its repoft, and said that Dr.' M'Arthur had served this country long'and faithfully, and owing to his own-'and his wife's' illhealth, Mrs. M'Arthur had be'eii left without sufficient resources for her support, and she was not in a physical condition to earn her own living. It was true that there must bo many cases such as this, in which a man died without leaving sufficient support for an ailing wife, but he thought that tho least this country could do in recognition of tli© undoubtedly great services' rendered to it by the late Dr. M'Arthur was to grant the prayer of this petition. Sir J. AVard said that lie hoped tho Government would view this case from the standpoint of the work done by tho late' Dr. M'Arthur. There could bo no doubt that, considering the work he had. done, particularly in later years, -'m late Dr. M'Arthur had received a very poor salary. With a considerable knowledge of the world, ho had no doubt that the late Dr.-M'Arthur could not have left much for the support of his widow. Ho, was quite certain that the- case was one which could he conscientiously recommended to the .Government for favourahlc consideration, and ho would cordially support the suggestion made by the Committee. Mr. T. 11. Davoy (Christchurch East) said that many petitions much more deserving than the one beforo the Jlqiiso had been rejected. Ho understood that a sum of something like £2000 was at present lving to the credit of Mrs. M'Arthur. A member: £1950. ' Mr. Davoy said that during the latter part of his service) Dr. M'Arthur bad received £750.a year. Ho did iot think that the House could.fairly nay £500 to anyone in possession of £2000 in hard cash. In many far,more deserving cases than this relief had been refused to poor people. . Mr. P. C. Webb (Groy) endorsed '.what had been said by Mr. Davoy. lie .would be one of tho Inst men'in the House, he. said,, to oppose assistance being granted by the State,.blit he-had iir mind a case in which a widow was refuspd relief who had lost her husband by miners' complaint: ' It seemed to him that poor people had very little chance of getting justice at the' hands of the House. Ho hoped that in luture cases would be considered on their merits, and that poor people would receive more favourable consideration than they had done in the past. Tho report, was referred to the Government for favourable consideration.