SOCIAL SECURITY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20262, 1 June 1940, Page 5

SOCIAL SECURITY

TAXPAYERS’ QUEUES LARGE SUMS HANDLED HARD-WORKED P.O. STAFF Despite the fact that long queues of taxpayers had filled the mofiey-order office of the Chief Post Office in Gisborne throughout the past week, there was a substantial overflow today, when the last opportunity of payiiig the social security charge on income other than wages and salary, and of making the necessary returns under the Act, was presented. Tlie post office staff rounded off a stiff week, of constant pressure, occasioned mainly by the habit of a large proportion of taxpayers of leaving their returns and payments to the last possible moment Every day of tlie past week has seen long queues still waiting to be dealt wnh at the normal closing-hour of the money-order office, and the clerical staff has had little rest after hours, owing to the necessity of completing their own settling-up processes at the end o 1 each day's work. Considerable sums of money have passed through the office in the past fey/ days, and the aggregate yield of the social security charges on unearned income for the district must have run into many thousands ot pounds. On a smaller scale, the Gisborne Borough Council’s staff has had a similar experience to that ot the post office staff, in dealing with applications for motor-drivers’ licenses. The regulations this year required that each applicant must present, himself or herself at the issuing office, and discretion was given to the issuing authority to defer applications of those who appeared, on cursory examination, to be doubtful qualifiers, Persons over the age of 70 years were required to present medical certificates with their applications. This morning a queue was termed at tlie issuing office before tlie normal hour of opening, and grew steadily until at 10 a.m. it stretched across the footpath and into the road opposite the Borough Council chambers.