SEPARATION ALLOWANCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2764, 6 May 1916, Page 9

SEPARATION ALLOWANCE

—V ; — : <-• CASE OF THE MAP.RIED MAN

RECRUITING BOARD'S VIEWS

correspondence oil the subject or the allowances paid 'in respect of the children of married won on military, service has been exchanged between the chairman •of the Welling- ™ «ai Belief Association (Mr. W. I'orguson) and the secretary of the Recruiting Board (Mr. Gray):— ■ The secretary, Kecrniting Board, Wellington.

_ Dear Sir, —Your memorandum of the Ist _ instant, notifying that it had been ueoided to recommend in Cabinet : to. lnorease the number .of children to five in respect to whom an allowance of 3s. ■M.-, per week is paid, was laid before the Executive yesterday. I was directed •to thank your • board for .its recommendation, which it is believed will, be, - if adopted, not only a measure of justice to tlioso concerned, but an aid in assisting recruiting. The execuitve, however, respectfully Urge that your, board -should.reconsider its.decision limiting the payment- to five children. It appears to the executive of this association .. that everyargument that can be used for the ex, tension of this privilege from four to five.-childron can be used 1 with' even greater force for application .to families of greater numbers. The actual amount . involved by such", a concession would be a very trifling addition to the liabilities incurred by the Dominion through the war, whilst it seems certaiirthat the largeness of a man's family ought not to- be considered a disability, and that lie and.: his family Khould be penalised therefor. Although the question of■: recruiting is not one ..within .the purview of this association, the members oi its executive are satis, fied ithat arbitrary restrictions of this nature, have done ' great harm to the. cause of recruiting. , I was also instructed to bring under your notice the question of children'o allowance to u.c.o.'s and men of tlio N.Z.E. Force who. are permanently attached to tho New Zealand cainps. It ■Is ■ understood that. at present the al. lowance is not mado to thsoo men, and applications have consequently been liiade to this association for assistance. The financial position of a man resident in camp is worse than that of a man upon active service.; He naturally desires -,to visit his family during his reBid'ence in camp, and lias to bear tlia railway fares and other expeusen incidental to such visits. 'He also is liable to sundry expenditure and temptations to spend that 'lie'.--otherwise Would not have had if he were at the front. -It is, tlierefore, respectfully sub-.' mittcd to you that the allowance should ill all justice,be granted in respect to the. children, of these meii.—Yours truly, '! (Signed) WILLIAM FERGUSON. Mr. William Ferguson, Chairman, the' War Relief "Association.'of Wellington.— Dear Sir, — . . ,'-. ', 1 have received your further memorandum of the 4th, instant, with refer-' erence to the. allowance of . 3s. 6d. per .week paid with respect :to each child of men who enlist in the Expeditionary Force.. .

Your association appears to be uudes a misapprehension l with respect to tinpolicy of tli© Recruiting. Board in limit nig the number of . children to whom this., allowance. . . .will be paid. The board, in deciding that, the number should fc be increased beyond five, ...was .not actuated ibyany '''parsimonious or idea- • (to. quote the ,newspaper.:report .of the .discussion oil the question: by members of your association), bvifc fixed the-limit.wholly and solely so'that men with large families should not be.encouraged to enlist in , tlie. Expeditionary Forces. It is quite true:that-in the past men with heavy, '".family responsibilities have enlisted;'; and it is equally .true that in many instances, as : a result of representations l , made, to the.Department cither.by their, wives or by the local patriotic,'.-society, these men . have had :to be discharged, thus causing Serious, inconvenience to the camp authorities, and the loss of their training and pay, ,to the State. • .In fact, tlie ,Defenco Department has had to contend with such a large r .umber •of applications for discharge for this reason, usually a fortnight or a .week' before tli3 embarkation of each reinforcement, that'steps are ' now being .taken to -inquire into the circumstances of men who oifer 1 themselves for service in. all -cases,.where there is reason: to believe tlint a snail's family rnspon-'. sibilities are such as .to make it inad- . visable to enlist him. ' ,

< Under the voluntary system of enlistment the Recruiting Board thinks it is safe to assume that the married man with family responsibilities who enlists knows what he is doing, and is in a position to make adequate financial provision for his dependants, in ?,hie]i. case the board sees no reason why lie should not enlist. With respect to the question c.f children s allowance : to n.c.o.'s and men of the, N.Z.E. Force wlio are permanently : attached to, the New Zealand camps, I have pleasure.: in .informin" >"ou that Cabinet ;has decided to giant the allowance in the case of all men who are resident in the training c-rrpsj the internment camps, add st the forts. The allowance will not-be paid with respect to the children cf men who reside at homo. (Signed) T. D. GRAY, Secretary,

A movement tliat has achioved great success both in Australia and in the Homeland is tho Y.M.C.A. Snapshots J'roin Home League. The object of llic. league is to keep tho home iircs burnlug by keeping.soluiers on active service supplied with pictures of their homes, their, parents, and their" friends with all tho "old" home surroundings; The first general ' meeting to further this object will "be held in the Y.M.C.A. rcoma this evening, when photographers]either .professional or amateur, are requested to put in an ap]>earaiice and help the movement forward; The wounded soldiers 011 board tho .Turakina were presented by Messrs. Hermann and Canard, Ltd., of Capo Town, manufacturers..'of. ' Jnvicta and Dreadnought Rhodesian tobaccos, with a large supply of tobacco and cigarettes. In a letter dated March 14, the Mayor of Cane Town writes, to tlio firm thanking them for tho very generous contribution to our boys. On 'Sunday afternoon, at 4.15 p.m.., nt the Young Women's Christian Association, Herbert Street, tlio lie, / 13. Hutson will give an address on the subject of "Restoration." All girls and yoliiig women are invited. Strangers to Wellington will receive a special welcome. it Al ;"» TGrsar y services will be held at the Terrace Congregational Church tomorrow. .The Rev. J. Reed Glasson(pastor) will conduct- the morning service,' which will lie followed by tho Chmmunion; iind tho Iter. W. A; Evans (Newtown).will conduct tho evening service. On Tuesday evening there will, be a tea and public meeting.