FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Taranaki Daily News, 13 May 1918, Page 2

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

BOARD. ■ ■ — <o» ITS POLICY DEPENDED. BY DEFENCE MINISTER. Auckland, Friday. Mr C. J. Parr to-day sought from the Minister of Defence information regarding assistance to wives and families of Second Division nn\n. He said that owing to so many wives of soldiers having received notice of withdrawal of allowances the impression was current that the Board was a dead letter. The Minister said he was surprised to hear the statement. The Board, he said, was contributing very materially to the assistance of soldiers' dependents. In an interview later Sir James AHen said the Board treated applicants liberally according to instructions given. It had commenced operations about the time when the allowance to wife was 7s week. Subsequently wives' allowance ; were increased to 21s week and the allowance for the child from 5s 3d to 7s per week. _ When dealing with application for assistance the Board was taking into account the increased separation allowance. The question had arisen as to what should be done with those who were granted higher financial assistance because separation allowance was law. The Board, therefore, had reviewed earlier cases in order to put everyone on the same footing. Some allowances had been adjusted, but had never been reduced. The Minister said he had examined several classes himself, and he unhesitatingly declared that the Board had acted fairly. The minimum assistance for wife was £9O, but the Board had taken into consideration prewar circumstances and conditions of living of some people who were better off than others, wives whose husbands received a salary of £SOO or £6OO a year. In some of these cases the minimum financial assistance had been raised. Some wives were receiving assistance to the extent of £l3O a year in their own right.