PROTECTION SOCIETY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 219, 16 September 1938, Page 12

PROTECTION SOCIETY.

AN ACTIVE MONTH. CASES DEALT WITH. * 'I The monthly meeting of the exeeo! tivc of the Society for the Protecting of Women and Children was held in the" society's rooms, the chairman, fir* Dawson Donaldson. J. P.. presiding. Tin reports for the month showed that a ' total number of 132 cases had beea handled during August, involvintr j2 ' office interviews. In addition 14°csaee ; had to lx> sent to the solicitor further action. Some instances were given of the aad plight of elderly women separated ' through 7io fault of their own, and unable to earn a living. Certain djfficulties arise in applying for invalid pensions, and oven when a Court order for maintenance exists, that is ignored " by the Pensions Department, and tile husband's full income used as a bacfe to calculate qualifications. Only if the parties are divorced is the woman's application treated as individual. Xhj, sometimes has the deplorable •effect of compelling elderly women to apply f OT divorce in order to qualify for am invalid pension. This position conld be rectified by making conditions the same as those for old age pension, that is, a. judicial separation is recognised and the maintenance order, if any, jg the basis of applicat ion. A letter was received intimating that the society will benefit substantially from the estate of Mrs. A. M. Hourfl. ton. a life meinl>er of the society, who died recently. Great appreciation was expressed for this recognition of the value of the society's* work. The chairman of the ladies' committee reported that as a result of the bridge party organised by the Jewish Ladies' Benevolent Society, the sum of £23 8/ was raised.