WAR RELIEF.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 230, 28 September 1934, Page 8

WAR RELIEF.

EXTENSION OF PERIOD

SMALLER DISBURSEMENTS ?

In the hope that the period of disbursements of war relief funds might be extended, Mr. H. Horton suggested yesterday at the meeting of the executive of the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association that payments should bo reduced. He said that at the present rate of disbursement, £11,770 a year, the balance in hand, £55,590, would be exhausted in five years, and payments to all types of cases would have to cease.

If the amount were reduced to about £7000 annually by the elimination or reduction of payments to the less necessitous cases, said Mr. Horton, there would be money available f<Jr the worst cases for a much longer period. No diminution in the number of claims for the last quarter was reported by the claims board, and many men who were without a war disability pension wore finding at this late stage that effects of their war service were becoming serious. The annual interest on the association's securities was not £2000, so the fund was actually being depleted at the rate of more than £9000 a year, and the liquid securities were £43,900.

The executive decided to refer the question to the claims'board so that it may evolve a policy which, without causing undue hardship on deserving applicants, will yet extend the life of the fund for several extra years.