FINANCIAL AID FOR SOLDIERS

Southland Times, Issue 24835, 29 August 1942, Page 4

FINANCIAL AID FOR SOLDIERS

BOARD’S OPERATIONS (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, August 28. Applications totalling 12,445 had been received by the Soldiers’ Financial Assistance Board up to July 31, said the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, Minister in charge of soldiers’ financial assistance, this morning when releasing the latest figures covering the board’s operations. The total commitments of the board up to the same date reached a total of £159,572. Mr Armstrong said the board’s commitments indicated that applications were given very generous consideration, to say the least. Applications had been received from men in the three services or their dependents ,and there was a maximum grant of £3 a week. He emphasized that the payments made by the board were straightout gifts with no obligation for repayment. With every group of men going into camp an increasing number of applications was being received, a position that was understandable in view of the fact that men now being called up were men with greater commitments and greater family responsibilities . than many of those called up previously. The board had been set up early in the war, but its operations on a major scale had only started in the last year or so. An interesting point was that every member of the board was a returned soldier. In making grants the board’s object was to leave a man’s dependents in a position as near as possible to that in which they had lived before the man went into camp. It seemed that assistance was sought principally to meet rent payments. There were many cases where wives but for the assistance from the board would have had to give up their homes to live with relations, but with assistance from the board they were able to keep their homes going for the day when their husbands returned. 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.