SEPARATE ALLOWANCES

Otago Witness, Issue 3293, 25 April 1917, Page 29

SEPARATE ALLOWANCES

CONCESSION TO WIDOWED MOTHERS.

For some time the Advisory Board of the Federation of Patriotic War Belief Societies has been endeavouring to obtain an improvement in the conditions under which separation allowances are granted to the widowed mothers of soldiers. Then tho Government decided to grant the separation allowance where the applicant had no other income. The Advisory Board pointed out that this meant hardship, since the smallest income was a disqualification where other incomes did not exceed 7a per week, provided the soldier made an allotment to his mother of 3s per clay. The Advisory Board urged that this would not operate fairly, since the soldiers had other dependents, and could not allot the whole of their deferred pay to the mother. It was not dosired to have the amount of the allotment reduced, since this would be depriving the mother of income, but it was hoped to have cases dealt with on their merits. This has now been oonceded by the Minister, from whom the following letter has been received bv the secretary of the Advisory Board (Mr R. W. Shallcrass):— "As the result of recent representations by a deputation from the Advisory Board of the New Zealand Patriotic War Relief Societies regarding separation allowances to widowed mothers of soldiers, I have to inform you that tho present regulations under which payments of widowed mothers' separation allowances may be made will, in future, be proportionately relaxed as regards the qualification of a minimum allotment of 3s a day of deferred pay, in particular cases where a soldier estalishcs that he is unablo to allot the full amount of his deferred pay. Each case will be dealt with on its merits, and the allowance will be granted, provided the mother's income from other sources does not exceed 7s a week. "To give complete effect to the Advisory Board's request that the full old age pension of 10s per week would not debar applicants from receiving the separation allowance would t ; e going too far, as illustrated by the following comparative table of estimated ir.corne:— Beforo Enlistment. Old age pension £26 Possibly free board provided by the soldier can be adctad, but same would not exceed in value 26 Making a total of ... £53 After Enlistment. Allotment £54 Separation allowance 13 Old age pension ... 2S Making a total of £9B "It must be recognised that a full old age pension is not granted where the income exceeds £3l- per annum, so that tho widowed mother would be £46 a year better off than before the soldier enlisted.Without the allowance her income is increased by £28."