The Dominion. MONDAY, DECEMBER 3,1917. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 59, 3 December 1917, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, DECEMBER 3,1917. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

It would seem that the plarpose of the provision under which financial assistance supplementary to pay and separation allowance may be granted to soldiers on sorvice is imperfectly understood. The Financial Assistance Board has found that

in some instances the wives of soldiers who have, been given those special allowances have regarded them as justifying a more extravagant style of living than was found possible by them under normal conditions, while in other cases liabili-

ties have been specially incurred with a view to constituting a claim for assistance. Articles, for instance, have been purchased under the time-payment system on the assumption, apparently, that they would bo paid for by tho Government. It is stated that some tradespeople have encouraged this idea in order to find buyers for their goods. t The purpose of tho special provision made for granting financial a'ssistanoc is very different from this. What tho Government and Parliament had in mind was to relievo the citizen, called on to sorve in the military forces at a lower rate of pay than he was accustomed to oarn, from inability to carry out the financial 'obligations he had incurred in the ordinary course of his privato or business life. Many men could not pay their insurance premiums, interest on mortgages, and obligations of that nature out of their soldier's pay, while others to do so would have to stint their dependants. It would bo monstrously unjust to call on such men to sacrifice their interests in their insurance policies or property through inability to continuo > payments to which they were committed when that' inability arose out of the demand of the State on their services as soldiers. Another of the purposes aimed at was to assist in maintaining tho existing home life of the community by enabling the families of soldiers to go on living as nearly as possible under the conditions to which they had been acaustomed. Homes broken up are difficult to restore, whereas a little extra assistance with rent would mean in many instances that tho home life of the wife and children or other dependants of a soldier would go on much the same as usual so far as tho surroundings and style of living aro concerned. It is desirable not only in the interests of tho soldiers and their dependants that tho home life should bo maintained at tho customary standard, hut in the interests of the community generally.' Tho Financial Assistance Board in dealing with applications for assistance presumably takes into account such considerations as these, hut it cannot be expected to lend its aid in caspa whero liabilities have been deliberately incurred with the object of making claims for financial help. It is desirable that the public generally should realise this. Up to some ten days ago the board had granted assistance in no less than 3221 cases, the annual cost to the State involved amounting to £109,323. With tho Second Division going into camp tho demands made on tho board will, of coursc, bo much grwiter, and the annual sum required to meet the call will assume formidable dimensions. The public generally, wo are confident, will have'tho fullest sympathy with tho-

legitimate claims of those who apply to tho board for assistance, and will cxpect the board to meet such claims in a liberal spirit. Rut it would be the height of folly and <m injury to the community to encourago the needless incurring of financial obligations by an indiscriminate use of the powers which tho board possesses.