ASSISTING SOLDIERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12670, 18 June 1919, Page 6

ASSISTING SOLDIERS.

RETROSPEGTJVE REGULA. TIONS. The following retoivnoos to the retrospective regulations regarding liuandial assistance to soldiers bnvo been sent out by the Minister of Defence : The SuklicM’s’ Financial Assistance Board, under its original regulations, could only extend assistance to the sob dier or his dependents during Ins service, but ameiiudmoiUs have been made in tbo regulations enabling tbo board to cover oases which formerly could not be dealt with, as grants could not be made retrospective for more than three months before the date of the application, Though great publicity was given to the scheme, hundreds of dependents of soldiers have undergone considerable financial hardship as a ro suit of the. soldiers’ military service, and the hoard had no power to moot thenr claims. In many eases, the omission to put in a claim at the proper time wa.s only detected on the return of tho soldier, and tho recent arrivid of many men of the Main Body and earlier reinforcements revealed the fact that some wore not aware that they con Id' have obtained grants from the Financial Assistance Board to meet tho recurrent obligations which they were not able to finance out of their pay and allowances. These obligations arc mainly in respect of mortgages on property and life insurance's. with war loading. There were many cases of hardship which the hoard would have alleviated had it possessed newer fo make retrospective grants. Tho new regulations give it this power, oven though the soldier has received his discharge. The new arrangement provides that the soldier already in New Zealand must apply within three months of the date of gazetting the regulations, viz., June 10, 1910; and in the case of men still to he returned, within three mouths of tho date of their arrival in New Zealand. In approved cases, the Soldiers’ Financial Assistance Board may continue its .wants for six months after the soldier’s discharge. Discharged men may thus submit an application for assistance, which will be dealt with on exactly the same linos as though it had been wade in the ordinary course during tho period of tho 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 the new retrospective regulations null operate to give relief is that, for instance, in winch a business has been carried on during the soldier’s absence and where a profit anti loss account can _bo submitted or an income or expenditure account in the cases of farms and properties. A lump sum payable direct to the payees (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 tbo soldier’s absence on military service. There is one class of application which the hoard will be obliged to decline. It has received many inquiries from men whq have for some time been settled again in civilian life- They are under the impression that the extended regulations ar 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 cases be reopened. 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 \vould not have authorised a grant in the first place, seeing that the small recurrinv obligations were 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 eases of hardship due to the failure of soldiers or their dependents to make np. plication within the specified time, hut tins rennoning of the scheme cannot, he indefinitely prolonged. Oonsemiently the board directs soreH attention to the time limit for annlientiom.