SOLDIERS' ALLOWANCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17942, 18 November 1921, Page 6

SOLDIERS' ALLOWANCES.

DESIRE FOR AN INCREASE.

'NO. MONEY AT PRESENT. [b? telegraph.—special reporter.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. An attempt to ascertain the inten- \ lions of the Government in regard to allowances to totally disabled soldiers and soldiers' widows with children, was made in the House to-day by Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon). He said he understood that the Government had under consideration the possibility of increasing these allowances, and ho asked the Prime Minister to make a statement on the matter. ; ' Mr. Massey said ho regretted he was not able to give a definite reply to the question. In the present financial position of the country he did not intend to increase expenditure in any direction he could help until he could say that ' the expenditure wns within tho 'income. That was the position, and he thought it was well that Parliament should understand it. Ho was being continually asked to retrench rigidly by members Of the House, and at the samo time came demands for increased expenditure. Ho could not comply, and he was no* jgoing to attempt to do so. Ho did not think it would be very long before wo Jiad the finances of the country back to a sound position, and then he would bo prepared to consider tho proposal to .which reference had been made.