MOTHER AND CHILDREN

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 19, 22 July 1925, Page 4

MOTHER AND CHILDREN

ENDOWMENT SCHEME

OUTLINED

TO COST £2^000,000 fER YEAR,

A scheme for the endowment of motherhood was propounded by Mr. M. J. Savage (Auckland West) in the House of Eepresentatives .yesterday, in introducing a measure designed fo give effect to his. proposals.

Mr. Howard said that his Motherhood Endowment Bill was at least a beginning in dealing with motherhood endowment. At present there was no provision in the arbitration law for families of more than the average number. Consideration, was given only to the average family, and larger families were suffering an injustice. The arbitration wage for the average family was bad enough, but it became worse and worse as the family increased. The underlying principle of the Bill was to prevent the living standard of large families from being reduced because they were large families. In a word, the Bill meant the insurance of the mother and her family. Mr. Savage stressed the importance o? decent upbringing, and referred also iw the' curses of race degeneracy. TL» effort of the commercial travellers in. Auckland to distribute blankets amongst those in need seemed to be an admission that something required to be done to relieve large families which were in necessitous circumstances. The Bill,, aimed at reaching the child before th» child reached the gaol, and he claimed that it was easier, more economical, more Christianlike, and more human* to reach the child in the home than in the gaol. He merely asked for justica to the mothers and children. It was more important to breed healthy, children than to improve the breed of racehorses, which had been the subject of much, discussion last session. Mr. Savage cited a case of a family of ten children, and asked how they were to be maintained on the wage provided by I the Court!

The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. T. M. Wiiford) asked what method was proposed in tho Bill.

Mr. Savage said the measure proposed that parents of families of three and upwards should receive an endowment of 10s per week in respect of each child until that child reached the age of fifteen years.

Mr. Wiiford asked whether it was proposed that if should apply only iv necessitous cases.

Mr. Savage said that tho payment of the endowment of 10s should commence when the income of the parents did not exceed the minimum wage, plus 10s per week, in respect of each child after tho first two.

"Have you formed any rough estimate of the amount involved?" asked Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North). "I don't cure how much is involved," replied the mover. "My plan is for humanity, not for bricks and mortar."

Provision was also made in the Bill, Mr. Savage proceeded, for the proper use of the endowment moneys, so that abuse of the law would nut be possible ; also for payments in' respect of illegitimate children, with proper safeguards against mis-spending of the money. There was also provision against disreputable persons making use of the money, and a clause providing for. the payments in respect of children who might be permanently incapacitated, notwithstanding that they might have reached and passed, the 15 years of age, to be continued at the discretion of the Minister. Mr. Savage said he had roughly estimated the cost of the Bill as drafted at about £2,000,000 per year. <;I don't mind the expenditure in the least," he said. "1 don't mind paying my share in the expenditure, and so far as 10s per week would keep the children if the provisions of this Bill were made the law of the land the family of ten would be economically as well off as the family of two."

The Bill was introduced,