EXTRA PAYMENTS OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND WAR PENSIONS

Grey River Argus, 11 October 1949, Page 7

EXTRA PAYMENTS OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND WAR PENSIONS

Big Job For Department’s Staff

P.A’, WELLINGTON, Oct 10. “This has been a tremendous task well carried out,” said the Minister to-day.

Referring to the work done, oy his department in making arrears or social security benefits and war pensions available for payment, he said that vouchers for more than 190,000 additional payments had to be prepared in addition to the department’s current work, while the October instalment had to be prepared for release at the improved rates. The department had ben able to do away with some of the more tedious and routine work by the use of machinery, but a considerable proportion of the payments, because of their special nature, had to be prepared by hand. This required overtime work, and the Minister voiced appreciation of the willingness of officers to give their 1 evenings and week-ends to the job, to avoid delay in making these payments. Even after the vouchers had been prepared, they had to be sorted according to the paying office to which they were to be distributed, he added. The fact that the whole job was accomplished in such a short time, with a minimum of overtime, was a tribute to the efficiency and organisation of the Social Security Department, said Mr Parry.