SECOND DIVISION ALLOWANCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 October 1917, Page 5

SECOND DIVISION ALLOWANCES.

GOVERNMENT CAUCUS. BATES PRACTICALLY UNALTERED. By Wire.—Our Parliamentary Reporter. ,• Wellington, Last Night. Another caucus of supporters of the National Government was held this morning, and, after some discussion, tho members agreed unanimously to support ] the financial proposals placed before 1 them by -Ministers. These included the new scale of allowances as follows: Married first and second lieutenants, lis per day. Wife of warrant officer, non-com. and private, 3s per day. Each child under sixteen yearsj Is per day. ' ._ Brothers and sisters of soldiers, if dependent and under sixteen years, Is per day. A widowed mother dependent on a soldier, or an invalid lather who is a widower and who is dependent on a soldier, if the total income apart from allotments does not exceed 10s n. per week;' la fid per 'd&y. When the House met, iSir James Allen placed before members, the regulation authorising this new scale of allowances. Mr. Malcolm said it was an anomaly that if both parents were living they could get nothing. Sir James Allen said it was impossible to avoid all anomalies. He was prepared to consider specific cases. He had been in communication with the Financial Assistance Board regarding the position of chronic invalid wives, and hoped to make an announcement on that point later. The Minister proceeded to give figures showing the estimated cost of allowances for the next twelve months, covering

thirteen reinforcements, at the new rates as follows:

Present New Old rates rates rates Wives £301,000 £826,000 £525,000 Children 210,000 318,000 72,000

Total £548,000 £1,144,000 £596,000 Allowances to parents, brothers and sisters ;would bring the total under the rates to £1,157,000, an increase of £599,000. The new rates would operate from January 1 next.

Sir James Allen said the Government had considered the whole matter ver.y carefully. It had taken as a minimum standard the wages of the ordinary working man. A soldier would get 35s per week under the minimum rates, the wife 21s, and each child 7s. If the soldier retained for his own use Is Bd per day, the wife with two children would receive 59? Ccl per week. It was not possible to base' the scale on the standard of a man earning £SOO a year, but the financial assistance scheme would help men of this class by providing assistance with the payment of rent, insurance, interest ofi mortgages, etc. Sir James Allen made an important reference to the reinforcement quotas. He said his calculations were based, not on the reduced reinforcement rate already announced, but on a further reduced rate. What that rate was to be he was not permitted by the Army Council to disclose.

An opportunity .for discussion was then provided, and a few members carried the debate into tJie evening, but the supporters of the National Government did not speak. They are evidently accepting the decision, of the caucus. The amounts fixed, the Minister added, were the minimum rates. They might be increased, but he gave 'his word that they would not be reduced.

It was decided to take the discussion in committee and be unreported.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS. STRONG CRITICISM OF SECOND DIVISION. By Telegraph.—--Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. When the House resumed at 7.30 the discussion on the Government proposals for soldiers' allowances was continued by a number of members who did not attend the caucus, each urging that the Government should increase the amounts in the schedule. Sir John Findlay said that after hearing the statements by responsible Ministers in, the caucus that morning fco greater lac kof confidence could bo lexpressed' in the National Government than by voting against the provisions now before them. They had been told deliberately they had readied the breaking point, and if pushed further they would be faced with national disaster. Sir Joseph Ward informed the House that as the result of the fullest consideration by Cabinet it had been unanimously decided that everything possible had been done. If the country was going to be driven at the bayonet point by the Second Division it would be better to leave them in the Dominion. Members should reflect that they had had to borrow 28 millions for war purposes, also that the whole responsibility for that rested upon the shoulders of Ministers. Did those members who told them in a light-hearted and flippant way know they had to borrow £28,000,000 for war purposes? Also, that the whole of the responsibility rested upon Ministers! Theyimust all recognise that they had at the outset reached out as far as possible, and now they were told they could easily go another million. He cited the case of some members demanding an increase of old-age pensions, and when the Government applied a threepenny tax on tea the same members voted against it. They had gone as far as they possibly could. What the Second Division wero asking for would cost a million more than the Government had provided for. There were only three ways of raising tho extra revenue. One was an export tax, another a poll tax, and the third extra customs taxation. Would any member support any of those .proposals? Just before the supper adjournment, Mr. Massey, in the course of a speech, said he thought the country ban done its duty up to now, but they had to 'look to the future. He did not think some members treated the Government fairly. Tho Government did not oxpect generous treatment, but they did expect fairplay. The Government hail told the members that morning a great many things they could not tell the Houfce, because it would appear in print the next day, and he was not one to cause panic, If they took the careful path they would come out all right, but they must not rush into a huge expenditure. No oat knew when tho war would finish. It might drag on for another couple oi year?. IV did- not desire to send on< man'out oi the aounWy th"aa wim

necessary, but they had to men at the other end of th*.lNOwflßH| had to flit th(>' gapa, 5s the Second Division Logo* the game. It was sot Tty^t, proper to dragoon member*. rh^BKIBH League had done. The GoverH|gdjH|HH|j Parliament would do all men they had to; send. by men of our /own race, the 'SMH^H declared, was not the thing whßp recognised that there were jtlwMiHlHi married men fighting at the not one complaint or question' At midnight Mr, Pftyne > nvfflflHH amendment that the' regulation* mSHH ferred back' to the Government faflHH ther consideration, with a .vinf vSHH creasing the allowances. - £<j|HnH On a division the amendment The regulations were then gdppftEMßß