WAR FUNDS

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 216, 8 June 1926, Page 6

WAR FUNDS

EXPENDITURE INCREASING CLAIMS FOR NEXT THIRTY OR FORTY YEARS FIT MEN WHO BREAK DOWN Though the Great War ended seven and a half years age, the expenditure of many of the war relief societies in New Zealand shows a tendency to increase steadily rather than to diminish. It is computed that at the present rate of expenditure, the funds in hand will last for about sixteen years, but just claims arising from war disabilities may have to be met for the next thirty • or forty years.

The Advisory Board of New Zealand Patriotic War Relief Societies met, yesterday, preliminary to a meeting of delegates to be held to-day. Those present were Messrs. L. O. H. Tripp (Wellington), presiding, J- J. Dougall (Christchurch), V. J. Larner (Auckland), E. H. Williams (Hawke’s Bay), A. de Costa (Gisborne), H. Gibbons (Wanganui), C. M. Luke (Wellington), Hon. W. W. Snodgrass (Nelson), J. J. Clark (Dunedin), A. C. Grace (Dunedin), H. J. Tarrant (Southland), and Sir John Luke, M.P. (National War Funds Council). A vote of condolence with the relatives of the late Hon. J. Grimniond, M.L.C., a member of the Advisory Board from the start, who had taken considerable interest in its affairs, was passed in silence, all members standing. The chairman expressed his pleasure at seeing so many old members there, eight years after the war had ended, and exhibiting such interest in the work. He referred to the death of Mr W. Pollard, of Marlborough, who had taken a most active part in the welfare of the soldiers, and in addition to leaving a legacy to the War Funds Council he had left .£5OO for the assistance of blind soldiers. Dealing with the number of returned soldiers who required assistance, Mr. Tripp said that one in every three had received pensions, and one in every four had received assistance, as against one in every hundred who turned from the Boer war. It they had funds to deal with the latter cases, the Wellington Association would have done so, twenty-three years after that war was over. It was not out of the, way to say that in thirty or forty years _ time iust claims would have to bo paid in connection with the Great War. Men of 21 years of age injured in the war would most likely be receiving assistance for another twenty years. lhe War Funds Council had funds sent out from England with which they were helping soldiers. As an instance oi what the Wellington Society was doifig, he said that it was giving a Crimean War veteran £1 a week. An endeavour to find out the position generally had been made by Mr. Leach, secretary of the 'Wellington Association. He had not been able to get all the information that was required, but had acquired siLfftciont to acs as a guide. Dealing with a Government return that had been issued. Mr. Inpp said that it did not quite present the correct position. For instance the Wellington Society was stated to have spent when the exact amount, was MM. That was due to returns being asked lor on the wrong form. Mr. teach s inf ornation showed that the war funds in Auckland would last 23J years, and that, taking the funds all round, tney would last at the present rate of expenditure for about 16 years. Of course, some cases would last for a long time, and some only a brief period. .lhe position to-day was that there were twentynine incorporated societies with funds totalling 41731,053, in addition to j A113,066 in the hands of the Mar Funds. Council. There was also 41117.000 in the canteen fund, which belonged absolutely to the soldiers. For many societies, including Wellington, the tendency was for the expenditure to increase, and they found, on the whole, that the work had not diminished, partly because some men who had been discharged as fit broke down as the result of war service and partly because of the claims ct overseas soldiers. During the last three months Wellington had received 550 claims, of which 150 were from overseas soldiers. , , ~ One of the most important questions they had to discuss next day, continued the chairman, was the treatment of men who wero discharged as nt and broke down afterwards. He understood that Auckland could not deal with such cases, owing to the society's constitution, but Wellington did; that was. in regard to sick, wounded, or necessitous cases, for they went into every case on its merits. They found that many who had been discharged fit were mostly objects cf help, and had not turned down many of them. I hose who had broken down in health, and had been turned down by the 1. ensions Department because they could not ' satisfactorily prove war disability, wero the most important class Wellington bad to deal with. They said that when those men had long, war service and they broke down later they should be considereed suitable for help, ihen there wero cases of married men in ncessitous circumstances who were tn employment, but had bad luck, sickness, or- injury. The Wellington Society assisted such men temporarily to Indo over their difficulties. There were also cases of unemployment. Nothing was done for single men, who made few claims, but for deserving married men everything was done to get them employment. In the last three months 18.) disabled men had applied for. help of whom 56 had satisfied the society and the department that their state of health was due to the war, but 29 who had broken down could not satisTv tho department and so they wore helped. They had 59 cases Of married men in necessitous circumstances with families dependent upon them in a similar position and they had been helped also. They had only ‘ fifteen unsatisfactor? cases. ~ , ,» i j Another question which' would be dealt with was v the Question of centralising war relief funds, Mr. Tnpp said why anv of them should be in favour of nationalising all fhnds he could not understand. Still another question was the position of the War Funds Council and they had to think out was what is to be the position of that body. At the present time there were fourteen so-oief-ies in the Wellington provincial district and in another district there were five He was of opinion that multiplicity of these societies led to pin ch expense and trouble. In regard to Wellington, they had received four legacies, one of which was from a soldier totalling 41700 or .£BOO.- the whole of Ins eS The' meeting nlaced on record that it had every confidence in the present constitution of the War Funds Council. A general discussion took place on the remits to come before the general meeting to be held to-day.