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Family . Allowances. The claims lodged during the year totalled 1,560, which, with the 247 outstanding from the previous year, made a total of 1,807 dealt with. Of these, 1,437 were accepted and 213 rejected. Of the rejected claims, 138 represent cases where the income of the family was in excess of the limit allowed. 363 new claims from Maoris were finally dealt with during the year, 332 being granted and 31 rejected. The total children of the 3,763 allowances in force as at 31st March, 1929, and those in excess of two in a family numbered 18,884 and 11,358, the average per family being 5-01 and 3-01 respectively. The. total amount paid during the year was £54,791. The total annual value of all allowances in force at the close of the year was £57,304. The latter averaged £15 4s. 9d. per annum each, or just a trifle under 6s. weekly, the maximum for three children. Weekly Rates at which Allowances granted. Weekly Rate. Number. Weekly Rate. Number. Is. .. .. 9 10s. .. .. .. 96 2s. .. .. .. 356 lis. .. .. .. 1 3s. .. .. .. 12 12s. .. .. ..47 4s. .. .. .. 384 14s. .. .. .. 18 ss. .. .. .. 8 16s. .. .. .. 4 6s. .. .. .. 317 18s. .. .. .. 1 7s. .. .. 5 Bs. .. .. ..177 1,437 9s. .. • .. .. 2 Numbers according to Size of Family. Number of Children Number of Number of Children Number of in excess of Two. Families. in excess of Two. Families. 1 .. .. 344 7 .. .. 20 2 .. .. 388 8 .. 5 3 .. .. 333 9 .. 1 4 .. .. .. 187 5 .. .. ..102 1,437 6 .. .. .. 57 Weekly Incomes of Families. Number. Number. £1 and under .. .. 101 Over £4 and up to £5 .. 54 Over £1 and up to £2 .. 244 Over £2 and up to £3 .. 359 1,437 Over £3 and up to £4 .. 679 Cost op Administration. The cost of administration for the year amounted to £73,545, the principal items of expenditure being £35,836 for salaries of officers of the Department, who numbered 173 as at 31st March, 1929, £14,656 and £2,734 paid to the Postal Department respectively for payment of pensions and postage and telegrams, £5,936 for medical fees, £4,099 for salaries and other expenses of the War Pensions Appeal Board, and £2,550 for salaries of the War Pensions Board. The percentage of cost of administration to the total payments made of £2,936,586 was 2-50.

WAR PENSIONS. Total Claims lodged and Annual Value of all Pensions granted to Date.

Claims lodged. Pensions granted. Soldiers. Dependants. Number. Annual Average Value. Pension. £ £ 1915-16 .. .. .. 798 681 1,214 56,488 46 1916-17 .. .. .. 3,958 2,017 5,316 285,707 53 1917-18 .. .. .. 8,148 3,754 10,587 780,057 73 1918-19 .. .. .. 14,749 5,292 16,954 1,167,081 68 1919-20 .. .. .. 11,493 3,990 15,183 872,627 57 1920-21 .. .. .. 1,081 1,878 2,207 163,713 66 1921-22 .. .. .. 367 891 945 63,685 67 1922-23 .. .. .. 198 j 635 625 43,867 70 1923-24 .. .. .. 160 550 551 40,836 74 1924-25 .. .. .. 197 505 432 31,241 72 1925-26 .. .. .. 161 ; 379 353 26,046 74 1926-27 .. .. .. 218 | 378 350 26,369 75 1927-28 .. .. .. 180 368 330 24.502 74 1928-29 .. .. .. 231 407 398 30,545 77 Totals .. .. 41,939 21,725 55,445 3,612,764 65 Note.—The number of pensions granted as shown herein does not include children's pensions, the value of which, however, form part of the pensions payable to parents (or guardians), and are included in the annual value totals.