EDUCATION IN HANDLING MONEY

Te Ao Hou, June 1961, Page 6

EDUCATION IN HANDLING MONEY Much effort is asked of the sponsors. Counsel on family finance cannot but draw a host of other matters into the area of scrutiny—health, education, building, law—and the Society is equipped with a panel of experts who can advise on matters outside the sponsors' competence. Is the scheme working? Is it a success? Mr Vuglar read to us some typical case histories, which sounded like the “before” and “after” sections of some well-known advertisements. Before: squalor, penury and despair; after: confidence, security, hope. It seemed that an initial difficulty was discovered in the use of cheques, some families being very suspicious of them, connecting them with what they had read in the tabloid journals about cheques bouncing, and it seemed that in some of their minds, the cheque spelt disaster. The

sponsors quickly convinced them that all cheques don't bounce, and that even some quite respectable people make use of them, and that their money was safer that way. Some of the case histories made sad hearing. We heard of one family constantly in financial difficulties. The husband had some land in the neighbourhood which he was selling piecemeal, in order to defray his debts. One Friday afternoon, £250 was paid into his Post Office account. His wife did not see him again until Sunday night when he returned home without a penny, and this had happened three times when the wife asked the Council to help. From these depths, the family has been raised to confidence and security by the work of the Council. Many others told of homes crippled by inordinate drinking: now, after some months of guidance, these families can face their lives ahead with confidence. And the community? Do they welcome the Scheme? It seemed so, almost generally. Grocers, fruiterers, butchers, and other providers of food and goods, would obviously welcome a scheme which ensured prompt payments. The newspaper gave the scheme much editorial comment and favourable publicity; only the hotel proprietors viewed with a somewhat jaundiced eye a plan to limit their best customers to £1 per week. But generally, the whole of the business, professional and social community welcomed the scheme with the liveliest sympathy.