WAR RELIEF NOTES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 44, 15 November 1917, Page 7

WAR RELIEF NOTES

SOME PECULIAR CASES

IMPOSITION AND MERE : IMPUDENCE

WAR WIDOWS' RIGHTS

Extraordinary are' many of the applications made to the Wellington War Relief Association for financial assistance, Jind the amount of work given to the officials of that body by euoh applicants •would stagger' the mind of the average (citizen who some three yeara ugo cheor» fully subscribed to, the funds that are .liow being carefully disbursed. As showing the extent to which the work of the association has increased, the secretary (Mr. Leach) states that for the six months between November 1 of last Tear and April 30 of 1917, the applications dealt with by the executive committee numbered 1205—a monthly average of 201. .Between May 1 and October 30 last the ; number of cases considered wero 3002, ■a monthly average of 33i-an increase of 66 per cent, within the year. These figures, however, do not by any means represent the whole of tho cases that re- ; ceive consideration. The association has <a staft of lady visitors headed by an in.valuaWe worker in Mrs. J. B. MacEwan, Xho make, all sorts' of inquiries into the . condition of deserving and sometimes un< deserving persons, which'do not always assume the statue of a "case." Mr. jleach says that if suck visits were counted, the number could be swelled up to about 12,000. The great burden thrust upon the association, owing to Wellington being the military headquarters, and geographically the centre of.the Dominion, is that fully , 50 pev cent.. of the cases are those which really concern associations in other parts of New Zealand. Still, such, casea had to be inquired into and reported upon, and : the amount of correspondence and financial adjustment contingent upon the situation was sim■l>ly immense, and kept the'.typists iroine Eteadilj the whole time. An interesting, if arduous, feature of tlie work. was dealing with people who .were under the impression that the association was n: means 'of providing them Avitli a livelihood, instead of one constituted to grant relief in necessitous: cases only. .:..■•■■■ . An Oliver twist. l Of instances there were plenty. One *>** the case of a widow who had one child, and whose husband was- killed at the war. She was in receipt ' of a pension of 255. a week for herself arid (s 6d. a week for the,child, lrat wished further hnancial aid from ihe association. Inquiries elicited the information Mat she had a house of her own, and had four boarders, who paid her an aggregate of £i 10s. per week.- She also •liad another house upon which there was a mortgage, but which returned her 15s. a -week clear. It was also further ' deduced that her husband had left property, which was administered by the Public Trustee, for her benefit, it is only necessary to state that this lady's application for financial assistance cnild not be entertained by the association. His War Service.". Another case of quite a different sort lyae that of a man whose military service had consisted of a trip to * Cape ,Town in a troopship,.he'having been returned from that port owing , to Lie being a sufferer from rheumatism, 'i'nough this , man was still drawing his Military pay, in. addition to which, his wife was being paid ss. a week by the association, he had asked for board and lodg,ing for-himself, wife, and four children. iThe committee, in a generous mood, granted a week's board to the f ainily, so that the man could look round for other lodgings but the applicant waa not content with this liberality, and his' wife maintained that when at length ;they did secure a houss the association jßhould furnish it throughout So far the association has not consulted the furnishers. A Hard Case. An admitted -'hard drinker, who had misfortune to lose a limb through a fall off a train, and who had seen no active service, had .'been discharged on his return to the Dominion. ■ He was allowed, however, to rotain bis uniform, and was 1 sent to England to be fitted with a mechanical limb. This man had presented his case to tlie associacbn &e one for financial -assistance, and ftnl'Dg . sorry for the man's plight, the association had granted him- £Z- in cash and put him up at a private hotel for a week, before which time the landlord notified the ..association that such were the man's habits that the housemaids would not clean put his -room.. This mail is still being housed at the association's expense, but the strain put upon their consideration is too great. Still he considers he has a claim on the funds of the association—though the Pensions Board hasdeclined his application for a pension. This case is quoted in order to illustrate that proper , consideration is given to each case on its merits—a man. is always-given a chance.. It is, however, too often the icase that the applicant is eiraply trying to impose on the funds. Thanks to the good system evolved by the secretary, it is-now a difficult matter to do so. Applicants for relief would be. surprised ■ to know how much the

secretary knows about them, their means, and ways of living. . The Widow's Mite. On the othor hand, willing aid is given to deserving persons, and! none with a genuine case- need have any qualms at approaching the- association if their circumstances are necessitous. The association has given advice to,- many, who otherwiso would never know anything of the aid they are entitled to by right. Many war widows with children may not bo awnre, for instance, that if their condition be necessitous they may claim pensions for themselves and children (under 16), under the Widows' Pensions' Act of 1913, as well as Tinder tho Military Pensions Act. According to the amendment of this yew a widow with on> child may claim .£18; with two children. .£3O; with three children, .£43; and with four children £oi per annum. That, in addition to the 255. a week and "s. Gd. for each child now granted under the Military Pensions Act (also about to be increased). Mr. Leach has figured it out that under the new ecnlo of ponsions a war widow with six children (under 1C yeare), talcing advantage of all that is possible for her to claim may arrive at an income of something like MW n, year. A Beggar for Clothes. The man who drops in for the price of a. suit of civilian clothes has come to be an object of suspicion. One recrtitly tried the trick on • the association, and was neatly bowled out. Particulars were taken of the man's story, and ho was told to call again. That was on November 1. A telegram was forwarded to the association in the town he had como from, and the reply came promptly that the applicant had received a suit of- civilian clothes and financial assistance on October SO. Yet that man had sworn an affidavit that lie had received no assistance of any kind from any other , association.