WAR FUNDS

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 40, 16 August 1921, Page 3

WAR FUNDS

SAVING ADMINISTRATION

GREATER CONCENTRATION REQUIRED.

In October a conference of delegates of , patriotic societies recommended that the War Funds Council should be changed . to consist of representatives of patriotic ■ and war relief societies who have been • actively engaged in the administration . of why relief funds, and also a repre- . sentative of the Returned Soldiers' As- . sociation and other bodies who have been administering war funds, and whose ; war funds may be transferred to the . council. This proposal was placed before ; the Government, but no action has yet been taken upon. it. In a report to the Advisory Board of the Patriotic and War Relief Association the secretary.of the board states: " There are evidences that the War Funds Council will in the i vei;y near future require to be a very much more active body than it has been : in the past. Its importance cannot be over-estimated, and it is clearly one o£ the duties of the Advisory Board to use . its influence to secure the appointment of a body which will effectually administer < the funds available in the interests of those suffering from war disabilities. According to the natural sequence of events, the War Funds Council will eventually be the surviving body to administer patriotic funds. In the near future there is likely to be a natural concentration of funds under its direction from those societies which desiro to relinqiiish operations, and from those which through lack of business should be induced to abandon the necessary work and expense connected with the maintenance of separate relief organisations. The Advisory Board might consider whether more definite suggestions should be made to the Minister regarding the representation on the War Funds Council, and with respect to its personnel and the number required for efficient administration. There is a danger that if the council is to be changed merelyt by the addition of representatives • from various patriotic societies, that it will become altogether too cumbersome for, administrative work and too expensive to manage. The consideration of individual cases of relief will probably before long come within its functions, and there appears to be good reason to think that a small representative body of those experienced in patriotic work would prove more efficient than a large council appointed by reason of the public position which the appointees happen to hold. "The Advisory Board might also consider whether it is advisable that the operations of the War Funds Council should be removed as far as possible from Government and departmental control. There cannot be any doubt that there is a feeling in the minds of a great many connected with the administration of patriotic funds that the Government desires to 'collar' the control. It is probable that if the feeling did not exist some of the societies upon which very few claims ara being made would voluntarily hand over their operations for the -purpose of minimising administrative expenses". If the board approves, it might be urged that the operations of the War Funds Council should be completely detached from departmental control, with only the Minister as chairman making the connecting link between the council and the Government. This may have the effect of in ducing some of the smaller societies to hand over their funds and terminate an oxisterice which, in some cases, it is at present difficult to justify." " Great credit," continues the report, " must be given to the War Funds office for the tactful manner in which it has induced various organisations, whose operations were practically completed, to hand over their funds, either to the War Funds Council or to the central incorporated society. In this manner the number of patriotic bodies has been reduced from 981 approved war funds and 423 subsidiary funds—total 1404—t0 169 at the present time. There still appears to be a great number in excess of what is required to efficiently administer relief funds, and as long as they exist in such numbers there must of necessity be a fear that an undue proportion of the amounts Voluntarily subscribed by the public are being used for administrative expenses, instead of being applied for the benefit of the soldiers. It is clearly the duty of the Advisory Board to take note of this position, and, if considered advisable, to give its support to a further concentration of funds. There is a natural disinclination on the part of small bodies \yith funds in hand to be disturbed, and it may be necessary for the board to urge that additional pressure should be brought to bear upon them, if jt can be shown that amalgamation would be of benefit to those for whom the money was subscribed. Even the number of incorporated societies (33) appears to be greatly in excess of what is required for economic administration. ■The Minister would, no doubt, be glad of the support of tha Advisory Board in any step* he might take to effect a reduction." s