FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 91, 11 January 1919, Page 6

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

FAULTY ABMIXISTRAtIOX - >;"• . ALLEGED. . ; . .- : .Complaints are being made'of serious delay m the payment'of .grants author-, wed by the Financial-Assistance- Board'.', the payments are'made "promptly and generously in many cases, but'there areother cases when;, through no apparent fault of the soldier or his dependants, > ■ the,payments are delayed 'long 1 enough to' cause- grave embarrassment.- . . 1 The case of a man who went into 'caiup early-in September last wa6' brought' under the notice of a ; Dominion reporter.'.Ihis man,. who 'lias u\ wife ' and'- oiie child, placed a claim befire the FiiiaiiciaV Assistance Board and was'; informed othcially that lie had .'been- granted' -15s. 'a; week ' towards .reiily' with sbnivj' addi-v tional payments' for .injm'rance'." The'pay-, went towards the rent of liis liome was to be made, directeto; the landlord. The niau was discharged'from cunip in J)ecernber,'after about three months' service. The Financial Assistance .Board, up to the* present tini?,' has not .'made any payment at . all, either'for rent 'or for insurance. • Inquiries regarding., the caii.se . of ■'tiis delay jn this "caso did not'elicit much information. The oHiceivs. of the board, who occupy .offices 'aiot- easily discovered ■by citizen,; .were very courteous \yhen thvy )vere> questioned on the subject.. They were ablo to, produce the soldiers file, which was entirely in order;: ']hey explained that the money conld.riot be ! paid, because some nccessary -docu-. lnent from, the camp had not arrived.' they promised to send an urgent letter to the camp, but this letter did not produce any urgent reply.. It does not appear up to .yesterday. ..-to have, any, reply at- all. ■ .The ' owner of.-the' house, after waiting many weeks for. his money, wrote to -the Financial Assistance Hoard, but did not receive any.-reply jitall. A' second lei ler also failed to produce a response .from, theboard. ; The reporter gathered tliat this case was not an- isolated one. ' The' arrangements mado. by the' Financial Assistance Board and tho Defence authorities do not seem to' ensure thai the payments promised to dependants of eoldiei'S will lie nyidc promptly and regularly. The board deals with many (bousiffids of claims ..and'-the proportion of blunders may be very small. 'But the delays that:- are .'occurring 'are. apt to-cause'real hardship iri', certain cases." ' •' •''. ' :