"FIRST AID" FOR SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3097, 30 May 1917, Page 3

"FIRST AID" FOR SOLDIERS

THE WORK OF THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BOARD.

One of the busiest boards which have been set up since thq, New Year to assist the Government and the nation to keep its obligations is the Soldiers' Financial Assistance Board, which in Wellington consists of Messrs. Walter Bethune, T. S. Donaldson, and C. W. Chilman, with Mr. S. J. Wills as secretary. That the men who go into camp are taking advantage of this new aid to their resources for "keeping the homo fires burning," only &■ glance is needed at tho heaps of correspondence in the board's office on Lambton Quay, where Mr. Wills has a staff of nine clerks and' typists to cope with the work, and will soon have to increase his staff. The rush of work has been such that up till May 22 the board had held twelve meetings during tho ■month, and it is meeting every evening and on Saturday afternoon of this week. Applications consist 'mostly of requests for "first aid" in the payment of rent, rates, life insurance premiums, and interest on mortgages. Tho board deals with each case on its merits. It sees that it gets a signed statement from every applicant, stating what tho position is respecting tho heading under which assistance is needed.

That does not end the business. The verification branch then lake; np the case, and ascertains whether tho applicant's statement is correct. If ront is required to he paid, the landlord is communicated with; if it is a lifo insurance premium, the company is asked for tho position in writing, and so on. There have be'-'U cases where fraud has been nipped .in the bud. One woman represented that she was paying ,£1 rent for a certain house. On inquiry the landlord snitl flint' she was not his tenant, nor had slip pvpi' been. Such people sire usually dropped altogether, not, however, without full inquiry into their cases. Other people guess at tho amount <)f rates and insurance, premiums, and mistakes are frequently mado throneh them Kuessiiii; incorrectly.. On tho whole, tho applications that <iro received ar? casoi for consideration, nml every attention is !»ive(i them bv this very hard-working and enthusiastic, board.