SOLDIERS' CHILDREN OVER SIXTEEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17635, 27 May 1919, Page 6

SOLDIERS' CHILDREN OVER SIXTEEN.

TO THE EDXTOE. Sra, —May I bring the financial position of fallen ohikiren over 16 under notice?' The minimum, pension for a pri Vate soldier's widow ■with child or children over 16 is £1 10s; th© ny>Trirr>ym is £2 5a per week. A younger widow, mother of a child under 16, receives a military pension ranging from a minim-urn of £2 10s to a maximum of £3 ss. If her child is under 14, eho is entitled also to an ordinary widow's pension of £12 per .qnmiTri with war bonus of £6. This makes tho mmimum pension for a widow , with one young child £2 17s 6d a week, and the maximum £3 12s 6d. For every child after the first she is entitled, as of right, to an additional 10s weekly, up to, I think, a maximum of £4. The older widow may have two or more children over 16, but her maximum peneion is £2 ss. If tho deceased soldiers child over 16 goes to work, he or she will not be entirely self-supporting, and in th© majority of cases will not receive wages equivalent to the withdrawn pension of £1 a week. Should the mother wish her child to continue his or her studies at a secondary school, there is available, provided the child has qualified for it, a bursary amounting to £5 yearly. (A boarding , and travelling allowance is made to those who have to reside away from home or travel some distance to get a school.) During 1918, there was. paid of this bursary an amount of £3 15s. Examination fees amounted in some cases to £3 2s. When theso bursaries were arranged, it was stated that the cost of books and other incidentals might be provided for. I understood thai the matter iwas to bo discussed at the Repatriation Conference held in Wellington at the beginning of March, but apparently nothing was done. The Second Division League asked that the allowances to children of soldiers 'should be continued up to the ages of 18 and 20' for boys and girls respectively. The Hon. J. T. Paul stated the position plainly when the Pensions Bill was under discussion in the Legislative Council. The Prime Minister said that he thought some help should bo given in educating , soldiers' children over 16, but so far the Government has given no assistance except this tiny trarsary?— A child's allo"wanco from June 1, 1915, until August 31, 1916, was 3s 6d weeklyfrom then until December 31, 1917, it -wns 53 3d. The amount paid for one child at these rates amounted to £29 14s 3d, which makes about £10 a year, for the years 1915-16-17. A soldier's wife coold not save much out of that for future education. It will be several months before the Trentham scheme is in working order. In tho meantime these children over 16 are erowing older Sand tho cost of living is not decreasing. There are, of course, other dependents of soldiers ainrilarly situated I am glad to see that the Trontham schemo rocogmsos this.. The whole scheme of scholarships is in need of revision. A scholarship now is worth about half of its vahio 20 years ago. The £5 bursary for a soldiers son is equivalent to £3 15s (or less) at pre-war rates. —I am, e&x, eoi.nmt'B Wrnow.