FINANCIAL AID.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 48, 25 February 1918, Page 4

FINANCIAL AID.

TO SECOND DIVISION MEN. £160,000 A YEAR ALREADY GRANTED. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. A written reply, forwarded to the Second Division to-day .by Sir James Allen, states that, notwithstanding it will be three months yet before the first draft of married men enter camp, the Financial Board has already granted assistance totalling over £160,000 annually. There was no semblance of bluff in that intention. The regulations were purely designed to prevent .undue hardship, it could not grant assistance to remove tfhdue hardship which did not exist owing to the possession of private means. The Board was taking into consideration the increased cost of living, and allowing in a good many cases a military income exceeding the pre-ser-viee earning and pensiu".. The 1917 grants were necessary in order to enable the Board to reconcile the decisions of 1018 with those of 1017 in cases where men were in exactly the same financial circumstances before joining the Expeditionary Force. If the old grants with increased separation allowances were retained, there would be serious cause for complaint by men in the same circumstances whose applications were now heinjr dealt with. In no case had a reduction been made equal to the increase of separation allowances. The Minister welcomes the fullest discussion because, firstly, he is convinced that the Board honestly tried to give effect to the spirit of the regulations; and, secondly, if on investigation it were found that any case had not been adequately met. he would be able to increase the grant forthwith. He was prepared to give every possible guarantee that the spirit of the regulations would be fully carried out. Anyone dissatisfied with the assistance given may. at any time apply for rehearing, and be guaranteed that their cases would receive the consideration they deserved.