FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1918, Page 2

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

' HIGH-WATER MARK PASSED. DROP IN NEW APPLICATIONS. Wellington, Dec. 19. A drop in new applications is one of tho interesting features of the Soldiers' Financial Assistance Boards' report on November's operations. Evidently the high-water mark of this useful. schenie has been received, for the progress of demobilisation will result in grants being withdrawn as the soldiers resume civilian occupation. The- assistance does not stop immediately the soldier leaves camp with his discharge. It goes on for one month, during which time, the soldier is also drawing pay and other allowances. The actual position of the scheme', showing to what magnitude it developed while the war was in progress, was as follows on November 30th: Assistance to: Number. Total. I £. Non-appellants 4-,C51 140,360 Appellants 258 10,057 Voluntary recruits... 1,397 49,030 Members N.Z.E.P.., t ,- : 2,884 79,731 Grand total . 9,190 £279,174 The secretary of the. Board state-' that during November 279 new applications were received, compared witli 1,128 during the previous month. Carrying on its work in connection with applications previously in hand, itdealt with 1,287 cases, including 259 reconsiderations. Grants were made in 503 cases, 218 applications weie declined, 27 deferred for further information from the applicants, and no fewer than 479 withdrawn, owing chiefly to the factthat the applicants realised that there was no likelihood of their going into camp. Last month's expenditure for soldiers' assistance totalled just over £12,000 made up thus:

Rent 5,072 Interest 2,2-55 Instalments 186 Rates 261 .-.Life Insurance i.-..... ..| 3,930 Fire Insurance r ••••; '2B Lodge Fees ■ 63 National Provident Fund • 37 Miscellaneous c ... .58 Total £12,044 No report of human activity S3 complete just now without a reference to the influenza epidemic. The Soldiers' Financial Assistance Board's?. Woric was considerably dislocated through half the staff being down simultaneously, but the Secretary adds that at the middle of December practically everyone had recovered, *md office conditions would bo normal before Christmas.