MINISTERS’ REPLIES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 248, 1 August 1941, Page 2

MINISTERS’ REPLIES.

QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT.

SOLDIERS’ ALLOTMENTS

WELLINGTON, July 31

The House of Representatives was occupied this afternoon with questions c of several members giving notice and > Ministers replying to others. A, soldier’s allotments held in trust during his absence are not treated as . income of the trustees for war pen- - sion or war veterans’ allowance, pnr- » poses, said the Minister in charge of ’ Social Security (the Hon. W. E. Parry) replying to a question by Mr E. B. Gordon. The Minister added that such monfeys were not taken into account in connection with any Social Security benefit, nor was a trustee liable for Social Security or National Security taxes in respect of such allotments. Answering a question by Mr Poison, who asked whether the Minister of Defence was aware that soldiers overseas were compelled to pay Social Security and National Security taxes on income other than pay, Mr Jones said members of the armed forces remained liable to meet ordinary taxation on income other than pay. Officials who were not members of any military unit but were seconded for duty overseas in connection with operations arising from the war were also liable to pay Social and National Security charges oh income other than salary. No horses have had to be destroyed as a result of attending the mounted rifles camp at-Waiouru, but seven died from scouring due to the change from grass to hard feed, and four died as the after-effects of strangles, said the Minister of Defence (the Hon ,F ( . Jones), replying to a question by Mr E. B. Gordon, who asked whether it was correct that a. number of horses had had to be destroyed at Waiouru on account of disease contracted in the camp. Mr Jones added that the total number of horses in camp was 1232. . The shortage of medical men in the United Kingdom and the United States, also in all the British Domin- . ions, does not encourage one to think that any number of medical men could be imported from overseas to give no- i cessary medical services in country districts, said the Minister of Health, the Hon. A. H. Nordmeyor, replying to 1 a question by Mr J. O’Brien (Labour, , Westland). j

Totalisator Investments. An intimation that the increases in totalisator investments at present was receiving the attention of the Government was made by the Acting-Prime Minister (the Hon. W. Nash), replying in the House to a question to that effect by Mr W. J. Poison (National, Stratford), who asked whether the increase was having any effect on the national savings campaign. Mr Nhsh added that it was not certain that an individual who spent his. money on waning would in any case invest in national savings. Mr Nash also mentioned the reduction in the number of racing days that had been imposed as the result of war conditions, and stated that the whole matter would he reconsidered when the allocation of racing days for the coming year was under review in a few‘weeks.