AN UNHAPPY COMPARISON

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 49, 26 August 1921, Page 2

AN UNHAPPY COMPARISON

WELLINGTON AND OTHER PATRI-

OTIC SOCIETIES.

The Wellington War Relief .Association is not satisfied with its position as compared with the financial standings of other Jcindred bodies in regard to the funds available for the relief of disabled soldiers, and the question hasi been the subject of correspondence between the secretary, Mr. A. O. Leach, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, and was referred to at yesterday afternoon's meet ing of the association.

In a recent letter to the Minister, Mr. Leach embodied . the following table showing the relative position of the various larger associations, based on returns up to 31st March, 1920:^-

On tlie per capita average of £277 disclosed in the above return, the Wellington Association's total resources should be £134,000. Since the date of the returns the Wellington Association's funds have decreased by £17,000, and the supplementary disablement lists have further disproportionately increased the association's number 'of disabled men. There are 484 disabled soldiers within its district, and the association had at'the end of March, 1920, total funds, to the value of £66,000. This works out at, an average of £136 per head. Other societies, some of which have only a score or so of disabled men on their lists—particularly the smaller • Wellington provincial societies—have funds out of all. proportion to their prospective liabilities.

, Men. Auckland ... 886 Jawkes Bay 145 iVairarapa .. 61 Wellington..'. 484 tfarlborough. 46 Canterbury . 307 3tago 359 southland . . 216 Per Funds. Capita. £ £ 253,000 285 120,000 828 54,000 885 66,000 136 25,000 543 56,000 182 62,000 173 57,000 ' 264 Totals ....2,504 £693,000