MARRIED SOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1917, Page 4

MARRIED SOLDIERS.

THE ACTUAL POSITION. SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS, By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night, Mr. Armstrong, president of the Sefr oiid Division League, after an investigation of the figures quoted by the Minister of Defence during the debate on the War Pensions Amendment Bill, has worked out tables which, he claims, gives a guide to the actual position. In the absence of knowledge as to the Govern* tnent's intentions regarding the strength of the future reinforcements, Mr. Arm* strong has had to assume that the monthly quota will be 18$1 men. The Minister stated that ho estimated the liabilities for allowances on this basis to be £2,037,0 M. At September 30th an estimate of the cost of pensions was practically impossible, as it was unlikely that many married men would reach the firing line by Septembemext, The first married drafts could hardly reach tho danger zone before June at the earliest. Separation allowances could, however, be arrived at with more confidence, though it is necessary to realise that the total of the allowances could not be stated as an annual liability. The total amount involved must be capitalised, and only interest treated as an amlual liability. i

Mr. Armstrong then quotes figures, summarised below, covering the League's more liberal suggestions for a, scale. <The. department estimates the number of wives at 25,842, and children '33,28& League figures estimate 26,556 wives and :if1,3.18 children, an increase of tit and GOTii respectively.

The cost of allowances to wives (3a per day), assuming the first draft enters camp in January, will be £B*« 10s for the first month, increasing to £77,800 10s in September, and making the total for nine months £389,002 10*. It is assumed the January and February drafts will require no payments for chil* dren. In March and April there will be men with one child; in May and June two; July, August, and September three. | The cost will thus range at Is per day per child from £2BBI 10s in March to I £4.1,222 in September, or a total for, nine months of £141,103 10s. Allowing for half the estimated number of widowed mothers of Second Division men (84) becoming a liability in January, the coat) [by September will be £793 10s. The actual cost to the State-under tie Government proposals, for the year ending September, 1918, of separation allowanew for wives, children, and mothers of married men already serving would he £000,665 12s fld, and for Second; Division men's dependents total of £1,131,655, while the estimated' liability quoted by the Minister is £2,037,691. t .' Under the League's proposals the-totaj cost for the twelve months to September 30, 1018, would be, in the case pf ttig married men of the First Division £1.001|104 7s 6d, Second Division £oos !H>9 Os; aggregate £2,054,153 lflg fld* This is on a basis of Ob per day for awife and widowed mother and Is fld per* day for each child, and includes 0070f more children and 714 more wives as compared with the department's estii mated liability by Septcmbej of £2,037,) G!)l on a scale of 3s per day for wife! Is for child, and Is 6d for widowed; mother.

DISCUSSION BY CABINET. • • IMPROVEMENTS EXPECTED '■ From Our Parliamentary Reporter. Wellington, Monday. Cabinet discussed war pensions on Saturday, and although Mmisterg state that they reached no definite conclusions, there is reason to believe that they will make some improvements in directions that have been suggested to them by members and by the Second Division league. The League has triad! an impression on Whethei that fact is duo to the weight of its arguments or to the consciousness on the part of members that iff represents in some degree over two hundred thousand husbands and wives, all voters, is a nice question for students of politic; to answer.

Some people are failing to, realise that the crux of the pension problem is (hi wide variation of the wages and salaries that families have been accustomed to enjoy. The average wage of 'the New Zealand worker docs not exceed £3 pet week spread over the whole year. The wife of the worker, if her husband falls at the front, will receive £2 a week for herself and 7s fid for each child, Obviously a woman with two children will be better off financially than before her husband enlisted, since a substantial portion pf the £3 went to feed and clothe the husband. But the position is quite different when one comes to deal with the woman whose husband used tc earn from £5 to £lO per wlek. The pension rate represents sacrifice to her The same argument applies to "the question of allowances, as anybody may discover by a little calculation.

A largely attended meeting of settler* was held at Kaimata last evening, when speeches were given on the Second Division movement, by Mi". L. do Launay, J, McLeod and A. C. Downes. It was decided to join the Inglewood branch, all present becoming members.