WAR RELIEF

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2694, 14 February 1916, Page 3

WAR RELIEF

$ THE AUCKLAND SCALE OF PAYMENTS MAYOR REPLIES TO THE MINISTER Ihe statement mado by tho Minister of internal Affairs, that the Auckland i atriotic Association's schedule of benefits was not sufficiently generous io receive the endorsement by the Government has been, says th "Star," tho subject of a vigorous reply by the Mayor of Auckland (Mr. J. H. Gun-on), who is the chairman of the local Raui"'m, aIK ! ai ; Relief Association. ihe following reply was forwarded by the Minister to Auckland's proisst against tho action of the Goveramont in withholding approval of the soluble to tho rules embodying the proposed sC ™e of payments. " 'With reference to your remarks which accompany your letter of February 3, I note that vour executive p:o----tests against the action of the Government in this matter. The liist ,';rouud of your protest is my remark iha't ; the Government recognises that the right of paying whatever your executive may see fit in necessitous cases rests absolutely with the executive.' This is the constitutional -portion, the clearness of which need not bo discussed. It is, however, altogether another matter when your executivo asks the Government, by approving of your scale, to accept the responsibility thereby, imV fi mu secoU( ' contention, that the Government has a tendency to lean' upon the patriotic funds for the purpose of relieving tho liability of the general ratepayer under tho Pensions Act, is quite without foundation. Tho Pension Fund established by the Government is, I believe, the most liberal in the world, and that it is regarded by you as being of an extremely liberal character is evidenced by i the maximum payment which your executive proposes to make in supplementation thereof. If, in fact, the payment to the widow of the deceased soldier of us. a week a shilling a week for each child, is your association's settled idea of supplementing tho State pension in necessitous cases, then it must be evident that you are of opinion that the State pensions arc practically sufficient lor the necessities of those who have lost their husbands and .fathers. Jnere is only one other point in your letter which needs to be referred to, namely, your request that I will represent to tile Cabinet the views expressed therein. In reply, I may point out to you that when a Minister carries out the direction of' Cabinet upon such a matter it is not usual to forward replies or criticisms upon the action of Cabinet to that body. Under the circumstances I see no reason to depart ' "rom the usual custom." 1 "Saved from Pauperism." "In the first place," said Mr. Guuson to a "Star" reporter, "I may fairly point out that in a great number of cases the application for the Government pension is still undecided, and had it not been for the businesslike manner in which the Auckland Patriotio Association set to work and established its; schedule of benefits many of tho returned men and the families of the killed would at the present time be in circumstances of necessity. Nevertheless, the Government must not think that it can lean upon the liberality of Auckland. We are not at all concerned that the Auckland policj r has 1 been so grossly misrepresented by tho latest published statement of the Minister, and it is no departure from his previous inaccuracies. lnferentially, the Minister would lead tho public to suppose that the Auckland administration is parsimonious, out of harmony with tho wishes of the donors, and at variance with the objects for wnrc.t tho fund was created. All this is contrary to fact. Replying categoricallv, I would firstly point out that the Patriotic 'Funds are not to replace the Government pension, but to supplement them in necessitous cases, and obviously if the Government pension were sufficent, there would be no necessity for supplementation. The supplementation afforded by tho Auckland Patriotic Association is liberal, .and is appreciated by those participating in it. "Where Government is Tartly." "The Minister referred only to the supplementation of pensions, and would lead th© public to believe the Auckland policy is restricted to this. This is entirely wrong, as the Minister must know. The supplementations scale is merely one section of tho schedule, but there is another section for men and dependents who have not yet received the Government pension, and this scale affords payments quite equal to the total amount provided by the Pensions Act itself. This is intended for cases where application has been- made to tho Government, and no decision has been arrived at, and .for other necessitous cases where no State aid has been afforded, and where men require assistance." In tho ease of further published remarks, Mr. Gun son states,: —"I may say, for the information of the public, that tho policy of the association is that no returned wounded or invalided man or the dependants of the killed shall go lacking, and the funds of tho issociation aro available immediately to afford relief in all cases to the extent of up to £3 a week for men with dependents and 255. a week for single men. The scale which the Minister lias declined to endorse was carefully prepared, aud actuarially examined and endorsed; and, furthermore, waa submitted by me on twenty platforms in the province, and publicly endorsed by large meetings everywhere. The policy of_ the association is to extend its operations over a period of twenty-five ■ years, and anything the Minister says to the contrary will not change it."