OUR BOYS IN BLUE AND THEIR DEPENDANTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3171, 23 August 1917, Page 2

OUR BOYS IN BLUE AND THEIR DEPENDANTS

AN APPEAL THAT '-FAILED."- ' - ■ * "I have been without foo<l and fire lrotli tor my "baby :and myself. . "We have.had nothing einco Sunday to eat, and it is' very cold. I am sorry to trouble you.' I would go to work,'but am not strong enough, and have a baby nine months old to consider. I would bo much obliged if you could help we a little." Tho above is an extract from a letter Bent by the wife of a New Zealand sailor now serving ''somewhere on the Seveii Seas," to the Wellington "War Eelief Association, and is a striking illustration 6f the fact that there is a percentage of womon who do not know how to set about getting what' is due to them. Perhaps that i 6 made less easy, if possible, in the case of dependants of mou in the Navy than- thoso in the Army, but in any case tho above instance was considered so distressing that no time tfas lost in investigating tho case and affording Telief. It was found that tho woman was getting, 2Gs. a week from the following sources:—Allotment, Gs. week; paid from Home,' 10s. week; received from ship, 10s., a week. Out of that amount she paid lis/ a week ront, leaving 15s. for clothes and food for herself iwd child. The association at once added another 10a. a week, and later brought tho caso under tho ; notice of the Defence Minister as an argument for extending the operations of tho Financial Assistance Board to include the dependants of New Zealanders in the Navy as well as the Army, a course which Sir .Tames Allen did not see his way dear to follow, and advised the Advisory Board so at its last meeting. As the arrangement as it at present exists is so manifestly unfair to tho dependants of our 6ailors,- the hoard then decided that it would continue to push the matter until something more, satisfactory wan arranged. In the meantime the War Eelief Association is assisting tho wife and baby of tho absent .lack Tar. . ■ n Those women.in distress who arc porplexed as to how to tro about getting that financial aid.which is their due could not do better than consult the secretary of the War Relief Association.