WIVES OF MAORI SOLDIERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15975, 21 July 1915, Page 9

WIVES OF MAORI SOLDIERS.

SEPARATION ALLOWANCE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —special CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Tuesday. Tit erf. seems to be some doubt as to whether the wife of a member of the Maori force will be able to obtain the Is per day separation allowance without undue trouble. The matter was raised in the House of Representatives to-day by the Hon. A. T. Ngata. Mr. Ngata read the statement setting out that the marriage certificate should be sent to the Department when application was made for the ■ extra separation allowance. He desired !to know whether the Defence Depart- | ment had taken into consideration the I position of wives of the members of the Maori Contingent. "If the marriage cer- | tificate, were insisted upon," he said. " many women deserving this extra la per day would be disqualified. The statement presupposes the existence of a legal marriage according to New Zealand law, whereas in a number of cases members of the Maori Contingent married according to the Maori custom. It is only under the Maori Land Act in land transactions that marriage according to the Maori custom is recognised. I think it is only fair that j it should be recognised in the case of men ' going to the front." Mr. Allen said that with regard to the I marriage of Maoris he thought that a ! declaration would be sufficient. However. i he was not sufficiently acquainted with the ' Maori customs to be able to satisfactorily deal with those questions. He would be I pleased if Mr. Xgata would consult with him, and if an alteration was necessary Ito see that married Maori women were ! certain of getting the allowance, the alteration would be made.