FAMILY ALLOWANCES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5103, 21 March 1927, Page 2

FAMILY ALLOWANCES.

regulations gazetted.

CALCULATION OF INCOME.

Regulations under the Family Allowances. Act of last session —a Government measure designed to assist the heads of large families—were gazetted last Thursday night. They cover such points as calculation of income exemptions from computation and the method of payment.

Persons entitled to the allowance must make application on the forms provided at any courthouse in thq Dominion and lodge them with, the district registrar of pensions. For in-' vestigation purposes the Commissioner of Pensions is given access to the registers and records of all Departments o’f State, all property of the applicant, and all books, vouchers, and other documents relating to the property or to the income of the applicant. INCOME DEFINED. In the calculation of the income of any family the average weekly income will be deemed to include, at the discretion of the Commissioner, the actual weekly earnings or other regular weekly receipts as at the date of application; the weekly equivalent of any ether periodical payments which the family may be entitled to receive during the ensuing allowance year, although no part thereof may have been actually received; the one-flfty-second part of all other receipts (except -such as are exempted) during the last preceding income year ; such proportion as the Commissioner deems reasonable, having regard to all the circumstances, o'f the average weekly amount of any capital moneys expended /for other than capital purposes. In the exercise of his discretion under’ this head the Commissioner will not include any capital moneys in the computation of income if the average weekly expenditure (including the expenditure off any allowance received under the Act) does not exceed £5 10s a week with an additional 10s. a week for each child in excess of three.

The term “income” is not deemed to include any allowance payable under the Act, any payment by way of sick or funeral benefit from any registered 'friendly society, any money received an the sale or exchange of land or other property, any money received under an insurance policy on the destruction or damage, by fire or otherwise of a building Cfr other property, any pincipal or capital sum received on the intestacy or under the will of any member of the family, jjny moneys raised by public subscription for the benefit of any member of the family, any money received by way of compensation, or damages in respect of the death of any member of the family, or personal earnings which have ceased owing to loss Of employment or other cause. PAYMENT OF ALLOWANCES.

Every allowance authorised by the Commissioner will be fpr the period of one year, and will commence on the first day of the. month in which the application was lodged. In respect of every allowance authorised there will be issued an identity certificate which will set out particulars of the grant and the place of payment. The allowance will be paid at post offices monthly (not earlier than the 25th), and every receipt given by the payee will include a statement that all the children- in. respect .of whom the allowance is granted remain under his care and control. GENERAL PROVISIONS. Whenever he is satisfied that it is expedient to do so, having regard to age, infirmity, or-improvidence. Or any other special circumstances, the Commissioner will issue a warrant authorising payment of instalments to any reputable person for the benefit of the children. In such cases the application for the warrant should be made in writing to any registrar or postmaster. c|r .to the Commissioner direct, and be accompanied by the identity certificate if the person entitled to the allowance consents to the application. If the person does not consent to the application and refuses to give up the identity certificate the application must state these facts. The proposed payee must be not less than twenty-one years of oge, and the warrant will continue in force only during the currency of the identity certificate to which it is expressed tq relate, provided that it may be renewed or cancelled at any time by the Commissioner. 1 For the purpose of ascertaining whether an allowance is to be continued, or whether the amount of any allowance should be altered, the. Commissioner may ‘require at the close Of any income year or at any other time a statement from the parents of the children regarding their income and property, and the number of their children under fifteen years of age. On receipt o'f this statement the Commissioner .will verify the contents, and conduct his investigation in the same manner as in the case of an original application, and for that purpose the various forms relating to the investigation of original applications will apply with all necessary modifications.