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The Daily News. MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1917. THE GOVERNMENT'S INCONSISTENCY.

The Minister of Finance has told a re-* porter that there will be a war bonus for public servants this year. The position is perplexing. If the Government cannot pay the wives of soldiers more than 3s a day and children Is a say, plus 3s from a soldier's pay, without imperilling our financial stability, how can it provide a war bonus for oivil servants whose incomes already exceed this amount? That is a conundrum that only the Cabinet and members of Parliament can solve. But to the unenlightened the attitude of the Government eeems strangely inconsistent and illogical. There's sufficient and to spare for the civil servant, who is in a not uncomfortable billet and runs no risk to health or limb or life, but there's a beggarly pittance for the wives and children of the men who risk and suffer everything. No. demur is made at the millions of debt being incurred over the war, but hands are raised in horror at the thought of providing adequate dependents' allowances that at the most can only involve the country in an additional annual charge of £50,000, and probably a great deal less, The Second Division reservists must not bargain with the Government on behalf of their wives and children. That sort of thing is unpatriotic, and not to be expected from "men of our own race." But it is perfectly allowable and fit and proper for the Government to bargain all it knows with the Home people, who are "men of our own race," for the utmost farthing for our. produce, from rabbits to wool. The Second Division must not interrogate members oi the House over matters of supreme importance to them, for such a course is tantamount to holding a pistol at the heads of our amiable representatives, but Six O'clockers can swarm on iParliament and bombard the members until they ' get their own sweet way, in a matter that, after all, does not involve life and jleath. The Government says: "We have done all we can for the wives and children this session. But the position may be easier next year, when allowances can be reviewed." Meanwhile the nine thousand wive's and ten thousand children of married volunteers, but for whom the Second Division would have been called up four or five months earlier, and therefore would have been receiving the increased allowances that have been agreed to, have to suffer. The finances of the country are almost at breaking point, so the Government argues; and, this being so, how can the position be better in nine months' time? Will it net be worse? The Government agrees to pay £2 a week to a widow and 10s for each child, but when the soldier is alive she is worth only £1 Is and the children 7s. There is a distinction made in pensions respecting widows with children and the widows without, the former receiving £2 and the latter £1 10s, but when thenhusbands are alive the separation allowance is the same. The wife of a soldier is asked to live on the £1 Is, plus what a man can share from his pay, say another £1 Is at most, a total of £2 2s a week, and 7s for each child, which the Government and many of its supporters say is quite sufficient, yet the wives of those who live in undisturbed possession of their homes and liberty may spend many hundreds in gratifying their desires. One section, the wives and children of the men who are doing the fighting, are asked to live in a state of penury, whilst others are asked to make no sacrifice at all. Where is the equality? The Government alone can bring a-bout this equality, but bo far it hat never at-

| tempted to do so. Instead, it questions the motives and patriotism of those giv- ; ing up everything held dear and precious in this world, in order that it may cloud the real issue, and escape its houudcn duty to dependents. If the , country is on the verge of financial collapse (which to anyone who reads and | observes is an absurd thought) then this JcondiCwu certainly has not been brought »out by over-indulging soldiers' dependants, and it is no reason why they should still be kept in a state of semi-starva-tion, whilst hundreds of thousands can be found for civil servants, most of whom are already not uncomfortably of, and whilst the great bulk of the people are not asked to make any financial sacrifice worth mentioning.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19171029.2.18

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 29 October 1917, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
767

The Daily News. MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1917. THE GOVERNMENT'S INCONSISTENCY. Taranaki Daily News, 29 October 1917, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1917. THE GOVERNMENT'S INCONSISTENCY. Taranaki Daily News, 29 October 1917, Page 4

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