MATERNITY BONUS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 117, 4 February 1918, Page 8

MATERNITY BONUS

S EXTENSION OF PRIVILEGE / ASKED. « Messrs. H. Chaplin, A. J. Bentley, W. Auderson, and H. Ross, representing Railway Sick Fund Societies in Canterbury, waited on the Hon. J. 1 A. Hanan, and asked that the maternity bonus of £i per ohild should bo av Tilable to members of these societies as well as to members of friendly societies.Mr. Chaplin said that the deputation represented 1400 members, in the railway workshops, the goods sheds and the locomotive department. It was felt that they should have the same privileges as members of friendly societies. Many railway servants lived in isolated country districts. '■ Their wives had to come to town, and the oxpenso was heavy. It was felt that tlie bonus should' bo general, that was, available to every woman in the Dominion, but the privilege should at least bo extended to the railway sick fund societies.

Mr. Bentley said that the present system was inconsistent. Two railway servants, for instance, misht be working at the same machine. One belonged to a friendly society, the other to a railway sick fund society. The , former could claim tho bonus, but tho latter could not.

The Minister said that the bonus was promised by the Finance Act of 1916 as an amendment of the National Provident Fund Act, and was payable to members of approved frieudly societies. An "approved" society was.one wHich mado provision by the transfer of sick funds for any of its members becoming annuitants under the National Provident Fund. 111 actual practice that definition of tho Act could apply only to well-known friendly societies, such as t;ho Oddfellows. Foresters, Druids, Rechabitps, and so on. All of those societies in New Zealand had been "approved, and had adopted tho model tulcs. The object of the bonus was to encourage benefit societies whose finances wore 011 an 'actuarial basis, and who were working-on more or loss adequate contribution rates, and also to secure their members as contributors for annuities. TVic deputation apparently wished the bonus to be given to all sick benefit societies, registered or unregistered, without requiring for any of them the obligations placed, on friendly societies by the Finance Act in connection with tfie annuity scheme. To do that it wc/ul'd be to amend the National Provident Fund Act and to increase the vote. The estimated cost of tho maternity bonus to approved frieudly societies under the scheme was fe22,000 a year. Aβ far as he could see the actual expenditure would com/3 up to that estimate. It would be difficult to estimate what the cost would be if the benefit was extended to all, friendly societies, unregistered as V/ell as registered, as there was no "record of the unregistered societies.: It was a question whether the Government would be willing to go so far a?i to provide a substantial increase in the bonus.

In reply to Mr. Bentley, the Minister said,that the friendly societies had done splendid work throughout the Empire. They had promoted thrift and other benefits. New and smaller organisations did not.have such a record. Mr. Andnrson said that a member of the railwaj' service should not be placed at a disadvantage simply because ne supported a railway sick fund society instead of: a friendly society. Mr. ljUiss said that it was true that there ware many private sick fund -societies i besides those amongsf , railway servants. ThejMinister: Exactly. Whero would it endj? They, would all want the bonus , if yoi got it. ' Mri 'Anderson: Make it general. Put the tost an to the taxes. Make everybody, [bear the burden equally Tfis- Minister said t-hnt it was easy for/the deputation to make its-request, but' not easy to finance the scheme. However, he would consult the Departmeu'.tal officers in order to discover the exffct position, p *