Soldiers Assisted

Manawatu Times, Volume 67, Issue 206, 29 August 1942, Page 4

Soldiers Assisted

WORK OR THR BOARD Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Aug. 28. Applications totalling 12,440 had been received, by the eoiaiers' x inanci.al Assistance r»oard up to July 31, said. Mr. Armstrong, Minister in charge of soldiers’ financial assistance, this morning when releasing tne latest figures covering the uoaru’s operations. The total commitments Ox the ooard up to the same date reached a total ox £159,5/2 11s Id. Mr. Armstrong said the board’s commitments indicated that the applications were given very generous consideration to say tne least. Applications were received from men m the three Services or their dependants and tnere was a maximum grant of £3 a week. He emphasised tnat payments made oy the board were straignt-out gifts with no obligation for repayment. With every past group of men going into camp an increasing number of applications were received, a position that was understandaolo in view of the fact that the men now being called up were men with greater commitments and greater family responsibilities than many of taose called up previously. The ooard had been set up early in the war, blit its operations on a major scale had only started in the last year or so. An interesting point was that every member of the ooard was a returned soldier. In making grants the board’s object was to leave a man’s dependants in a position as near as possible to that in which they had lived oefore the man went into camp. It seemed that assistance was aougnt principally to meet rent payments. There were many cases where the wives, but for assistance from the board, wqold have to give up tfteir homes to live with relations. With assistance from the board they were able to keep their homes going xor the day when their husbands retijrned. The Minister said that from what he knew of its work the board was a very fine institution, and he had heard very few complaints.