PATRIOTIC FUND.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18151, 14 August 1924, Page 5

PATRIOTIC FUND.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The executive committee of the Canterbury Patriotic Fund met yesterday afternoon, Mr H. Holland residingThe financial statement showed that the receipts since the inception of the fund totalled £276,737 16s 9d, and the expenditure £239,167 ss, leaving a, credit, represented by invest a cuts and cash, of £37,620 Us 9<l. The chairman said lie had attendee} a meetitig of the War Funds Council in Wellington last month.. The amount in hand by Patriotic Societies through New Zealand totalled £1,233,000 oi which the Red Cross organisation had £IBB,OOO in band. There was a> reluctance on the part of the Patriotic Societies to hand over their funds to the War Funds Council. Tho Applications Commute, mended that it be given authority lo deal with each application for as; nuance on its merits, irrespective of whether the necessity for relief was ou« to war disability or not. ~,•-. Mr F.' Hobbs said he did not thin.'v the recommendation was in order, as the matter had been considered and settled at the last meeting, when it was decided that no change in the present policy should be made during the coming twelve months. Mr J. C. Prudhoe said the j-oint regarding relief had arisen in respect ot n.Soiitblaml case which was considered bv the War Funds Council, which requested the Canterbury Committee to deal more liberally with the cases presented, and stated that the Council had ample funds to allocate should the funds of the Canterbury Committee become exhausted. Tho policy of the committee, however, was to grant relief onlv for war disability, and special cases, or cases of unemployment caused by lowered physique, could not bo relieved. The Applications Committee asked for power to deal with each case on its merits. If the Canterbury Fund adopted tho wider policy then the War' Funds Council should be asked for an assurance that the necessary funds would be provided. Ho moved that the recommendation be referred to the Adequacy Committee. The chairman said thfe War Funds Council would not grant relief for the special cases contemplated, while the Canterbury fund had a largo balance in hand. It" was settled by tho Council that money would not be allocated for the relief of unemployment. The general opinon of the Council was that the Canterbury Fund should have granted the relief asked lor in the Southland case. Mr J. J. Dougall said the bulk of the I money controlled by the War Funds ! Council came from North Island SociI eties. Mr E. R. W r ebb said the Canterbury Society had spent the bulk of its money j for purposes for which it was constii tuted, and had not hoarded up its ] funds.

Mr J. C. Prudhco said there were oontinuons cases of men breakingdown, who were discharged fit. The chairman said that many men were so desirous to throw off militarv control that they got their discharges without troubling about their fitness The meeting decided to forward the recommendation to the Adequacy Committee for consideration and report.