SOLDIERS’ FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16466, 19 June 1919, Page 3

SOLDIERS’ FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

RETROSPECTIVE REGULATIONS EXPLAINED.

WELLINGTON, June 19

The Soldiers’ Financial* Assistance Board under its original regulations could only extend assistance to the soldier or his dependents during Jue service, but amendments have been made m the regulations enabling the board to cover cases which formerly could not bo dealt with, as grants could not be made retrospective for more than three mouths before tho date of tho application. Though great publicity was given to the scheme hundreds of dependents of soldiers have undergone considerable financial hardship as a result of the soldier’s military service, and the board had no power to meet their claims. In many cases, tho omission to put in a claim at the proper time was only detected on the return of the soldier, and tho recent arrival of many men of tho -Main 11 oily and earlier reinforcements revealed the fact that some were not aware that they could have obtained grants from the Financial Assistance Board to meet the recurrent obligations which they were not able to finance out of their pay and allowances. These obligations are mainly in respect of mortgages on property and life insurances, with war loading. There were many cases of hardship which the board would have alleviated had it possessed power to make retrospective grants. The new regulations give it this power, even though tho soldier has received his discharge. The now arrangement provides that the soldier already in New Zealand must apply within three months of the date of gazetting tho regulations, viz., Juno 10, 1919; and in the case of men still to bo returned, within throe months of the date of their arrival in New Zealand. In approved eases the Soldiers’ Financial Assistance Board mijy continue its grants for six months after the soldier’s discharge. Discharged men may thus submit an application for assistance, which will be dealt with on exactly tho same linos as though it had been made in the ordinary course during the period ot the soldier’s service, namely, with a view to remove undue financial hardship by reason of military service. If an application had previously been declined only on the ground of the board’s lack of jurisdiction, it should now be renewed. A typical case to which tlie new retrospective regulations will operate and give relief is that, for instance, in which a business has been carried on during the soldier’s absence, and where a profit and loss account can be submitted or an income or expenditure account in the cases of farms and properties. A lump sum payable' direct to the payee (or by way of a refund, where the disbursements have been made privately or in some cases borrowed) will, no doubt, meet such a case and remove undue hardship caused by the soldier’s absence on military service. There is one class of application which the board will be obliged to decline. It has received many inquiries from men who have for some time been settled again in civilion life. They are under the impression that tho extended, regulations lire intended to assist them -with their current obligations. This, of course, is not the case. The extended regulations are not intended to apply to- applicants who have already received financial assistance, and only under exceptional circumstances will such eases he re-open-ed. Nor do the new regulations extend the board’s power to make grants which under the old regulations (apart from the time limit) would not have been considered. Many single men without dependents have approached the board for a retrospective grant on account of life insurance. In such cases, however, the board would not have authorised a grant in the first place, seeing that the small rccurrim? obligations wore met from the soldier’s allotment without causing any undue hardship whatever. The regulations just adopted will enable the Board to meet a number of oases of hardship due to the failure of soldiers or their dependents to - make application within- the specified time, but this re-opening of the scheme cannot bn indefinitely prolonged, consequently the board directs special attention to the time limit for applications mentioned earlier in this article.