SOLDIERS' WAR FUNDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 48, 26 February 1923, Page 4

SOLDIERS' WAR FUNDS.

INTEREST ON CANTEEN MONET. SCHEME TO ASSIST DISABLED MEN. (By Telegraph—l'ress Association^ WELLINGTON", this day. At yesterday's meeting of the Dominion Executive of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers" Association a report as to the position of war funds on January 31st was received from Colonel Pow. On Armistice Day. 1!)1S. there wore 983 societies, now there are 93, stated the report, and moneys held by various societies aggregated £1.250.213. The position of the East Coast Maori fund was stated fo be not at all satisfactory, but Mr. Williams. M.P.. was submitting a full report on the matter from July Ist, to December 31st, 1922. the sum of £648 0/ had been granted to ex-Tmperial soldiers. The Council had resolved not to grant any of its funds to supplement unemployment funds.

A motion was carried, thanking Colonel Pow for his report. The chairman of the -Conference stated that the canteen funds had been invested, and were producing an income of £8.500 yearly. It was necessary to conserve the corpus of the fund, but he thought interest should be treated as a liquid assst.

'Mr. Perry urged that some of the money should be devoted to training of ex-soldiprs for callings in which they could earn livings, particularly as the flovernment were not now training men. The worst cases were stated to be men suffering from physical disabilities not recognised by the Pensions Board, and families of *hese men liad no means of subsistence while the men were in hospital.

On the motion of Mr. Smith, it was unanimously resolved to recommend the Canteen Funds Board to take expert opinion as tn advisability of getting a list of disaiJlefl soldiers willing to work in specified occupations suitable to their disability for a specified number of years: that, after nscertaining particulars, a fully qualified organiser should be appointed to carry the scheme into effect: and that, if necessary, action should be 'al<en in conjunction with the War Funds Council.

The chairman raised no objection to Mr. Smith's motion, but maintained that the Canteen Board was not a management board, and he could not support aiiv proposal to deal with the corpus of the fund.