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Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1918, Page 4

SOLDIERS' DEPENDANTS The Government lias not been long m showing its hand in regard to extending financial assistance to a man called up for military service, and his dependents When the increased allowances, etc., were brought down last year, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Defence had tables prepared showing how munifieeut.ly the Government was going to treat the soldier and his dependents. Not only •was the separation allowance for wives of la a day to be increased to 3s, and children's from 9(1 to Is a day, but the Government proposed to still keep up the payments for insurance, rent, etc., so that it was possible for a soldier and his family to be left in quite as good a position as he enjoyed before. The Second Division League raised the ire of many good, trusting people by asking the Government to produce the goods instead of promises. They bluntly asked that the separation allowance should be increased to 5s per day in the case of wives, and la 6d per day in the ease of children, which would render most reservists independent of the Financial Assistance Board. This course, however, did not appeal to the Defence Minister, who assured reservists that they could rely on him and his board doing the right thing. The week before last the executive of the Second Division League brought cases to the notice of the Minister which clearly showed that the Financial Assistance Board was not carrying out the spirit of the measure and the various promises made by the Minister, and proved that a good deal of hardship was being caused to soldiers' wives and families by the board's unfair and parsimonious attitude. The Minister made further promises, and asked the league to believe in him and appreciate his goodi intentions towards soldiers and their dependents. 'But a minister must accept the responsibility for the work of his department and boards, and that work has been in no way creditable to him or them. Apart from the cases quoted by the deputation, we have before us particulars of Taranaki cases where wives of soldiers 011 service have been recently notified by the Financial Assistance Board that the assistance hitherto given to meet charges for insurance, rent, etc., has been withdrawn, because of the granting of the extra 2s per day separation allowance. Those unfortunate individuals who have been looking forward to a little relief from the steadily increasing cost of living by the additional separation allowance granted as from the beginning of the year have had their hopes dashed to the ground by this official intimation. What the Government has done, as was anticipated by those accustomed to their chicanery and callousness, is to give an additional 14s per week with the one hand, and take back the 14 s, and sometimes more, with the other hand. It is a paltry and utterly discreditable action. Anyway, the principle of the whole thing is wrong. Financial assistance should be reseljved for special cases. The families of men called up for service should be left in approximately as good a position as their neighbors, whose breadwinners are not asked to make the sacrifice, and this can best be done by making the separation allowance adequate, namely, fis a day, which, with 3s from the soldier's pfty, would provide £2 10s a week, plus the children's allowances. Then a wife would be able to live tolerably decently, and would have some security, which she certainly has not at present. The board's treatment is niggardly in the extreme, and so long as the dispensation of what is rightly the due of soldiers' wives and children is left in the board's hands, so long will there be, injustice and dissatisfaction. As much as possible should be removed from its jurisdiction, and an adequate separation allowance given instead, as a right, and not as a favor.