SOLDIERS’ FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1993, 21 June 1919, Page 1

SOLDIERS’ FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

RETROSPECTIVE REGULATIONS EXPLAINED. Wellington, This Day. The Soldiers’ Financial Assistance Board, under its original regulations, could only extend assistance to the soldier or his dependants during his service, but amendments have been made in the regulations enabling the Board to cover cases which formerly could not be dealt with, as grants could not be made retrospective for more than three months before the date of the application. Though great publicity was given to the scheme, hundreds of dependants of soldiers have undergone considerable financial hardship as a result of the claims. In many cases, the omission to put in a claim at the proper time was only detected on the return of the soldier, and the recent arrival of many men of the Main Body and earlier reinforcements revealed the fact that some were not aware that they could have obtained grants from the Financial Assistance Board to meet the recurrent obligations which they were not able to finance out of their pay and allowances. These obligations arc mainly in respect of mortgages on property and life insurances, with war loading. There were many cases of hardship which the Board would have alleviated had it possessed power to make retrospective grants. The new regulations give it this power, even though the soldier has received his discharge. The new arrangement provides that the soldier already in New Zealand must apply within three months of the dale of gazetting the regulations, viz., 10th June, 1019; and in the case of men still to bo returned, within three months of the date of their arrival in New Zealand. In approved cases, (he Soldiers’ Financial Assistance Board may continue its grants for six months after the soldier’s discharge.

Discharged men may thus submit an application for assistance, which will be dealt with on exactly the same lines as though if had boon made in the ordinary course during (he period of the soldier’s service, namely, with a view to remove undue financial hardship by reason of military service. If an application had previously been declined only on the ground of the Board's lack of jurisdiction, it should now be renewed. A typical case to which the new retrospective regulations will operate to give relief is that, for instance, in which a business has been carried on during the soldier’s absence and where a profit and loss account can bo submitted or an income or expenditure aecount in the eases of farms and properties. A lump sum payable direct to the payee's (or by way of a refund, where the disbursements have been made privately or in some cases borrowed) will, no doubt, meet sueh a ease and remuve undue hardship caused by the soldier’s absonee on military service. There is one class of application which (he Board will be obliged to decline. It has received many infjuiries from men who have for some lime been settled again in civilian life. They are under the impression that the extended regulations are intended to assist them with their current obligations. This, of course, is not the’ ease. The extended regulations arc not intended to apply to applicants who have already received financial assistance, and only under exceptional circumstances will sueh cases be re-opened. Nor do the new regulations extend the Board’s power to make grants which under the old regulations (apart from the time limit) it would not have been considered.

Many single men without dependants have approached the Board for a retrospective grant on account of life insurance. In such eases, however, the Board would not have authorised a grant in the first place, seeing that the small recurring obligations were met from the soldier’s allotment without causing any undue hardship whatever. The regulations just adopted will enable the Board to meet a number of cases of hardship due to the failure of soldiers or their dependants to make application within the specified time, but this reopening of the scheme cannot be indefinitely prolonged. Consequently the Board directs special attention to the time limit for application mentioned earlier in this article.