SECOND DIVISION RESERVISTS.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14656, 9 March 1918, Page 7

SECOND DIVISION RESERVISTS.

The executive of the Second Division League, have considered the letter forwarded to the League by the Minister of Defence, after the 'recent deputation, and having fully considered the statements contained therein, have framed a lengthy reply. Having acknowledged with,'thanks the Minister's letter and enclosures the letter runs:

Referring lirst to that portion of your.! letter • which deals with the number oi sittings of the board (Soldiers' Financial Assistance) tho number of applications dealt with, and the total amounts granted, the executive of the League is more than ever convinced that the board as at present constituted can hardly ao justice to the merits of each individual case. Your quotation from the board's own report states that it met during the month, of January on twenty occasions and dealt with eight hundred applications, an average of forty cases per sitting. The executive notes that, of the number ot: cases under consideration, in only 37C cases were grants made to the applicants, or less than half. If grants were subsequently made in the 27 deferred cases it-would bring the total of .grants' up-to only 50 per. cent, of tho-.applied?.: tions. vThis remarkable average lends weight to the League's "request for a full investigation. The gross total to date, as shown, of 4256. cases at an annual expenditure of £141^355. 3s' lOd •gives an average; of £33' 4s 3d per grant, while figures shown for the month'

of"January give an average per grant of £24 6s id'per annum.- Put in another way the . average weekly grant taking the gross total is 12s 9d and for the month of January the average grant is 9s 4d per week. "When these figures are compared with the much advertised total possible grant of £156 per annum or £3 per week, it must be admitted that the League's contention, that the real liberality and practical usefillness of the regulations has been very greatly exaggerated, is borne out by facts. This is the mor-e noticeable when we remember that the existence of the regulations was used as an- argument against increasing the separation allowances to an adequate amount. Under the circumstances disclosed by the figures contained in your letter the extension of the maximum grant from £2 per week to £3 per week could only be availed of In the most exceptional and isolated oases, and can be of no benefit whatever to the great body of reservists.