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WINTER MENSWEAR NEEDS! Open
The 1?ecot No. 3031.
Perth, Thursday, May 17, 1962
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CREDIT
SERVICE ACCOUNT AT
602 HAY STREET Price 9d.
The Town Hall Is
opposite
PLAN TO RELIEVE ECONOMIC BURDEN OF LARGE. FAMILIES In a 24-page pamphlet just published, entitled "A Case for Graded Child Endowment and Increased Maternity Allowances," the National Catholic Welfare Committee puts forward certain proposals designed to lessen the economic burden of families, especially those of more than average size. The National Catholic Welfare Committee considers that the immediate provision of child_ endowment at progressively increasing rates as the number of children in a family increases, together with higher maternity allowances, would do much to relieve the hardship experienced by many families and would be a positive contribution to the
nation's social welfare. Child endowment rates have remained unchanged since 1950 while the present maternity allowances were adjusted last in 1943. Over the intervening years inflation has more than halved the real value in purchasing power of these two family allowances. THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC FAMILY WELFARE RECOMMENDS INCREASES IN:
* CHILD ENDOWMENT:
by 5/- g week for the third child, 10/- a week for the fourth child. 15/- a week for the fifth child and ,E 1 a week for the sixth and subsequent children in families and for children in
institutions.
ALLOWANCES to: * MATERNITY (a) £30-where
there are no other children under 16 years and for each child in multiple birth. (b) £20-where a mother has one or more children under 16 years.
The following advantages of the suggested graduated scale of child endowment are listed:
It is completely in accord with the original pur-
can he brought up according to minimum accepted Aus-
.
ily life of the nation.
Finally, the N.C.W.C. recommends the formation of an Advisory Council to the Minister of Social Services as an aid to the Government towards the realisation of the goal of social justice for all, for the famliy, for the mother and her children, for the aged, the invalid, the
widow, the sick and the unemployed. The National Catholic Welfare Committee was formed in 1957 by the Bishops of Australia. Each Archdiocese in Australia is represented on the Committee. Seven priests on the Cmimittee are directors in the respective capital cities of organisation approved by the Federal Attorney General as approved Marriage Guidance organisations under the Matrimonial Causes Act.
2
Rev. Guido A. Vaccaro who arrived on the s.s. Canberra last week from Strabane County, Tyrone, Ireland. Father Vaccaro was born in Derry, Ireland, and ordain. ed in St. Patrick's College, Carlow. He is temporarily appointed to St. Mary's Cathedral staff.
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MAN- ON -THE - SPOT IN
TROUBLED LAOS By Father PATRICK O'CONNOR, S.S.C.
LAOS, EXACTLY ONE YEAR AGO, LOOKED LIKE AN APPLE READY FOR THE REDS TO PLUCK IT. THEY DIDN'T PLUCK IT.
During the past year they hove pulled at it. But still they have not plucked it. They prefer it to fall softly into their hands. Nobody w h o knows communism and the Far East can doubt that the communists of China and
Northern Vietnam want Laos, their next - door neighbour, to be under tight communist rule.
tralian standards.
At a time when Australia is anxious to build up its population by natural increase, it would tend to remove, at least partly, the economic reasons for working men restricting the size `of their families. It applies principles accepted in other Social Service Benefits where some extra help is available for the larger family which is deemed to be in special need, e.g. this year in introducing the Bill to increase the rates of unemployment and sickness benefits the Minister for Social Services,
pose of endowment, which was to enable the family where there is more than one child to live according to the standard fixed and accepted for a family in which there is only one child. It gives effect to the policy of the Government as stated by the Minister of Social Services in 1950 when he said: "The Government believes that the most effective way to bridge the gap between the economic needs Mr. Robertson, emphasised of the family and the income that the Government was of the family is the payment specially anxious to improve of some form of allowance the lot of the sick and unwhich will increase with the employed persons who had ." size of the family larger families to support. It would be at least a Its cost is comparathe partial fulfilment by tively economical compared Government of the debt with other schemes to benewhich is owed in social fit the family through injustice to the family man creased endowment, costing who has more than the less than an increase of 5/ average number of children. per week in, endowment for It would serve to lessen the first child. the disability usider which The National Catholic the medium and large size Welfare Committee believes family lives in Australia. that mother and children IP It would be a recogni- merit very high priority tion of the fact that the when a Government has to larger family is making a decide how much and in vital contribution to the what way money taken from welfare of the nation and a the national income should welcome reassurance that be redistributed to meet the the nation as a whole is greatest needs of the people prepared to give the'backing and to render the greatest necessary to those families possible benefit to the so that the children in them nation. .
Other Social Service benelike Old Age, Invalid and Widows' Pensions, Sickness and Unemployment Benefits have been mor than trebled since the last adjustment was made to Maternity Allowances. in so far as Family Allowances like Child Endowment and Maternity Allowances help to lessen the economic strain and the material burdens associated with motherhood and family life, they play a part in the promotion of family life. But to achieve their purpose, these allowances need to be reasonably adequate. Unless these two important Social Service benefits receive the early attention of the Government and a substantial adjustment is made to them, it is considered that they will become less and less significant and meaningful in the famfits
TWIN
SYMBOLS
OF
MAN'S
PROGRESS
North Vietnamese army men were and are in Laos. Russian planes have been ferrying supplies to the communist Pathet Lao forces in Laos. These Ilyushin planes have been touching down on Hanoi airfield en route. The Chinese communists have been building a road from China into Laos. When I was in Laos a year ago, the communist forces clearly had the upper hand. I was in Thakhek when it seemed to be only a matter of hours until the communists would take the town. They didn't take it. Thakhek is on the Mekong RiVer, with Thailand on the other side. They
didn't make any serious effort to take Vientiane, the administrative capital, when I was there. It, too, is on the Mekong. Why did they hold back" There was a strong
rumour that the S.E.A.T.O. (South -East Asia Treaty Organisation) powers had resolved to act in at least one set of circumstances. If the communists drove to the Mekong River, Seato was Continued on Page Two. Symbols of man's material and spiritual progress stand side by side in the moonlight on the grounds of the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle. At left, the giant Space Needle topped by its revolving turret
skyward, while at right, the cross atop Sacred spirals
Heart Church gleams in the moonlight. The Redemptor-
ist Fathers' church will hi a convenient stop for the thousands of Catholics attre-`ed to the 21st Century Exposition.