INFLUENZA SUFFERERS

Otago Witness, Issue 3384, 22 January 1919, Page 8

INFLUENZA SUFFERERS

SCALE OF RELIEF INSUFFICIENT. (Faou Oob Own Goebespondent j WELLINGTON, January 15. # The relief of the influenza sufferers is causing the Government some uneasiness. The Hon. Mr Russell (the Minister in Charge) who has. declared the policy of the Government, is out of town resting at Runanga (Hawke's Bay), and it is understood that he has been asked to come back here and get the relief scheme established. There is-at present no proper machinery for the dispensation of relief, except that of the charitable aid boards, and the boards are becoming embarrassed by the work. It is scarcely fair to ask the boards to dispense relief to distressed _ people on one soale and to give it to epidemic sufferers on a much more liberal scale. The responsibility for deciding whether an applicant comes under one heading or the other is now on the boards, and they do not wish to carry on this work. Also, the scale of relief is not considered to be satisfactory. Relief is provided for children who have lost both parents and for children who have lest their father. There is relief for the Widower who has to employ a housekeeper to "look after his motherless children, but there'is no personal relief for a widow. A scale is provided for her children, but apparently the Minister interfded that the widow should receive only ordinary charitable aid for her own maintenance. At any rate no scale is provided for the widow in the authority given to charitable aid boards to expend money on account of the Government. Some better machinery will have to be set up immediately to determine what the rights of claimants are and what the amount to be given by way of relief shall be-in individual cases.