PENSIONS AND ALLOWANCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 January 1918, Page 5

PENSIONS AND ALLOWANCES.

MONEY FOR SOLDIERS' DEPENDENTS Tlic increased pensions and allowance < scales sanctioned liy Parliament last Bes< sion came into operation on Wednesday, and will involve an increased cost to the State which is best indicated by comparing the liability for allowances on heptember 30 last with the figure which will be reached next September:— & Allowances per annum at old Rates 937,577 Allowances per annum at new • rates 2.189,815 Increase in allowances 1,252,093 When the proposals were before P«r» liamont the most criticised item was the allowance to children. It was proposed to raise it from Ss 3d to 7s per week, bat the Government made one concession to the critics during a lengthy period of negotiation, as a, Tesult of which the children were allowed 10a weekly. THji cost of the extra 3s runs into just over, £150,000 per annum, and it must also be taken into consideration that tb* Government had proposed to make anin« crease of Is fld.

The allowance to wives of soldiers hM been increased from Is per day to BH» per week.

Widowed mothers dependent upon 4 soldier formerly got 7s weekly. Thdf new rato of allowance will be 10a Cd. Ts» allowance will not be jeodardised Iby tha receipt of an income up to 10s weekly from other sources. Widowed father! were not formerly provided for, mrtjipW they are entitled to the same as the widowed mother, it is estimates that in September next the number o£ persons drawing allowances in respect b£ soldiers serving in the Espeditjlonjiry Force will be as follows: ' '

Wives ....v.....^ v ..« 25,8** Children ...-?..,..,.;.££,:«; 83,288 J Guardians! ■.-.-.'_._ 384 - Widowed mothers \.^.. m 334 The pensions scale has been increased to the extent of an, all-round increase of 5s weekly in dearth and total disablement pensions of all rants, while the differential treatment of private and non-com-missioned officers under the old scale is abandoned in favor of a general rate of £2 weekly for total disablement, with' £1 weekly for- the wife, tie latter grant representing, in the case of pri* vatc3, an increase of 7s fid weekly,