THE WIFE'S ALLOWANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 288, 5 December 1925, Page 30

THE WIFE'S ALLOWANCE.

A NEW ZEALANDEJL'S EXPERIENCE. The following letter on the subject of wives' allowances was sent to Mrs. G. Edith Burton in answer to one of her articles that appeared in the "Star"; I am quite sure this is the source of much discontent in married life. I have been twice married, so have had a. shade more experience than many, but after much trial I would like to pass on what I consider solves the problem. Naturally I am concluding that both husband and wife desire to do the best for each other and are anxious their lives should be a success. When I was first married my husband paid everything or nearly everything by cheque. I was every now and then given money to carry on with for my personal needs. Needless to say it was, not a satisfactory arrangement for mc, but I held my peace about it. Before I was married the second time my husband asked mc how we would arrange the finances. "Would I take all his salary or would he have his personal expenses and the rest for the household and my expenses?" I had seen the former among several of my friends and it always seemed to mc the man lost his self-respect, so I was against that. For eighteen months, I tried the latter. I did not find it a success. Again it seemed unfair; I tried to struggle along, but with an addition to the family my expenses went up and the amount for personal expenses went down. While on the other hand my husband's bank account increased with extras over his salary —dividends, etc. He was always generous to mc and I need not have gone without, but .my pride rebelled at accepting as gifts what I felt I should share equally with him. So now I think we have got the right idea. Our property is in our joint names, and we still hold to the arrangement about the weekly salary, but anything over and above that goes into a joint account, and each year so much will be placed in our personal accounts. The joint account is to be used for anything for lome or family or business, the personal ones, nobody's business but ourselves. The above arrangement has removed any friction there might have been —we are both happy. I feel sure many more would be if tliey adopted the idea, even if when they married there remained only £5 over and above salary—£l each and three to the joint account. Possibly many are doing the same, but I know of none among my friends. Perhaps it may appeal to you as a way to make some marriages happy and if it is only one it would be worth while. I did tell a young man about to be married and he fought it great. As he said, both Ww ! elf Aspect and neither can i jUßtly complain."