BUDGET SERVICE NEEDS MONEY

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32016, 17 June 1969, Page 6

BUDGET SERVICE NEEDS MONEY

Although about 500 Christchurch families were thought to need the help of a budget advisory service, only 12 families were receiving this assistance, the secretary of the Christchurch Household Budget and Advisory Service (Mr A. Mayell) said on Friday. Reporting on the service’s work since it was formed in June of last year, the chairman (the Rev. W. E. Falkingham) and Mr Mayell said only urgent cases could be accepted because lack of finance prevented the employment of a field officer. The service has two objectives: to liquidate the existing indebtedness of a family, and to educate it into efficient handling of income. An adviser is alloted to the family; all income is-paid into a trading bank account, and withdrawals can only be made with his approval. Creditors are asked to accept smaller payments over a longer period, knowing that ultimately the account will be paid in full. Friday’s report said that only one of the creditors of one of the Christchurch families had refused to take part in the scheme, and in general the families had made good progress. Because it could not handle many more applications, the service had done little to seek publicity, said the report. Consideration had been given to employing a field officer, but the funds available would pay only three.weeks salary. An application for a Golden Kiwi grant had been rejected, and there had been no success so far from an approach to the Minister of Health and Social Welfare (Mr McKay). The budget service’s management committee has estimated that an annual income of $4250 is heeded to cover salaries, rent, telephone bills, and office requirements. It suggests that $5OO each be contributed by the justice, health, Maori affairs, and child welfare departments and the Probation Service, and that $2OO each be contributed by the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Salvation Army and Baptist churches. The balance of $550 could be raised by canvassing and from donations. None of the suggested contributors has yet been approached with this specific scheme; The management committee

elected for the coming year is:—The Revs Falkingham, G. McKenzie, T. J. Cahill, Brigadier E. Fitness, Mrs E. Matthews, Miss Daymond (Maori Affairs), and Messrs Mayell (secretary), V. RobilHard (Round Table), F. Gunn, J. Rinckes, D. Sellar, J. Jennings, and J. McCombs (auditor).