PROPOSED BOARD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 September 1939, Page 6

PROPOSED BOARD

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SOLDIERS. NOW BEING CONSIDERED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. “A proposal to set up a Soldiers' Financial Assistance Board is being framed,” said the Minister of Finance. Mr Nash, when replying in the House of Representatives yesterday to an urgent question by Mr Richards (Government, Roskill). He had inquired whether the Minister would establish some authority which could provide financial assistance to meet increases of premiums on insurance policies taken out after September 1 and made in favour of the wives and children of all soldiers going overseas. “During the 1914-1918 war period.” said Mr Richards, in a note to his question, “a Soldiers’ Assistance Board helped to finance .such cases, and £352,389 was paid in war claims at an extra premium of only £33,646 by the Government Life Insurance Office.”

Mr Nash said the subject of the increase in premiums on account of active war service was at present under consideration, and a proposal to set up a Soldiers’ Fnancial Assistance Board was being framed. As soon as the necessary inquiries were completed a statement of the procedure to be followed would be issued. Existing policies were in the main not affected.