ART UNION FUNDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 114, 15 May 1936, Page 9

ART UNION FUNDS.

FOR RELIEF OF DISTRESS. DISTRIBUTION TO CENTRES. (By Telegraph.—parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Replying to a question by Mr. D. Barnes (Government, Waitaki), relative to the disposal of art union funds, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Parry, said in the House of Representatives to-day that the amounts made available for the redief of distress from art union profits were distributed to the various mavoral or other central relief funds throughout the Dominion on the basis of the extent of the needs of the different localities as measured by the amount of unemployment existing at the time of each distribution. "The grants are, however, to be considered as for the relief of distress generally, not merely unemployment relief, and instructions to this effect have been conveyed to the relief committees with each allaeation," he said. "Further, it has been made clear that the amounts thus made available are to be considered as additional to the moneys normally available for social relief and not in substitution or abatement thereof. As these art union grants are made regularly—£l2s,lso having been allocated during the past three and a half years—they are intended for disbursement on immediate relief, and it must be emphasised that they aie not to be earmarked for future purposes or used as an excuse for capitalising or otherwise postponing expenditure of ordinary relief funds. Any complaints in this' matter will be promptly investigated."