“Disturbing” Decline In Heritage’s Membership

Press, Volume C, Issue 29665, 8 November 1961, Page 15

“Disturbing” Decline In Heritage’s Membership

The number of cases being assisted by Heritage (Canterbury) after 18 years of active life is increasing, while membership is showing a rather disturbing decline, it is said in a report of the movement’s activities during the last year. In this time the number of annual subscribers has dropped from 685 to 635.

The report will be presented at the annual meeting in the R.S.A. hall on November 15, when the president of the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association (Mr K. W. Fraser) will be the guest speaker. The increase in advisory and financial assistance has been caused by the deaths of a number of pensionable

former servicemen, 11 widows, and 21 children being added to the roll. The number of children under the care of the Canterbury branch and the Ashburton sub-branch has dropped in five years from 363 to 315, but there are still more registered cases of children under five and those attending primary schools than there were 12 months ago., even though 47 Heritage wards were taken off the roll as they reached 21 or found secure and profitable employment. New Zealand Total Throughout New Zealand, the number of children under the-care of Heritage appears to be rising. Last year 2148 children were receiving attention from the 17 branches. This year the number is 2190, “Therefore it should be remembered that there will be yet a continuing flow of new cases as families have the misfortune to lose the breadwinner through death attributable to current service commitments or to the aftermath of war,” says the report. In a budget calling for a continuing excess of expenditure over income, the drop in annual members, even while the number of life memoers remains stationary at 762, could prove to be serious, it says. Total grants in aid of the year came to £2646—an increase of £533 on last year’s figure of £2115. Expenditure exceeded income by £1713 an increase of £645. As the level of expenditure shows no signs of falling in the immediate future, the financial position of the Canterbury branch would have been considerably weakened but for the receipt of legacies totalling £2362. “If the major catastrophe of a third world war should burst upon us, there would be none to hesitate in giving the fullest possible support to the movement. Is it any less important that the job should be done when we are mercifully still at peace, though such peace may indeed be precarious? “The fact that the Second World War is now 16 years closed does not diminish the responsibility of the community, which Heritage represents, towards those unfortunate members, who, through no fault of their own, are unable to enjoy the privileges of normal and untrammelled lives,” says the report.