RELIEF OF DISTRESS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 141, 16 June 1932, Page 9

RELIEF OF DISTRESS

WORK OF THE E.S.A.

MANY ACTIVITIES

"We recognise that the relief of distress is the chief object, of the association to-day," said Colonel H. E. Avery, president of the Wellington' Be* turned Soldiers' Association, at the-an-nual meeting last evening. "Your executive have endeavoured to. the best of their ability to make that their chief concern during th past year. We hayo had a very difficult yeaiy but we have handled the applications for: assistance to the'best of our ability with the-funds at our disposal."

Colonel Avery said thai;, £2273 from the benevolent funds had been spent in assisting, returned soldiers. The general revenue in itself was not sufficient'to keep the association alive, and the executive had to. rely upon funds from outside sources, such as 2?oppy Day, Rose Day, and the Canteen Pund. They had been perhaps a little too generous, early in the year, and an appeal had to bo made to the War Kelief Association, ■ which, although primarily, constituted for the purpose of helping the unfit men, undertook tho responsibility of looking after the fit married men as well.' That lel't the B.S.A. responsible for the fit single men, relieving it of a great deal of the financial burden, without depriving the returned soldiers generally of the assistanco to which they were entitled. '■•■■■; COUNTRY CAMPS. In regard to the country camps established under the Unemployment Act, Colonel Avery said that the' executivo had "been faced with the problem of certain men who would not go to them. The executive's policy was that if a man was- single and fit and would not go to the camps he could not'be helped.- There was another class of man who was exempted, by a medical certificate. Ho ■was classed as physically fit, but owing to some mino£ disability, he. was .exempted and was " automatically debarred from getting work under the No. 5 Scheme. All he* could get from the Social Welfare Department;,was' rations equivalent to '4s a week. Thathadaot been, much good to the^average single man.-Steps jvero, beirig c taken,-to rectify, what appeared: tp'be a very grave injustice. ■■

r Speaking of-the men who-were in • receipt-.'of pension's and who were accordingly debarred . from relief work", Colonel Ayery said that through the efforts of the N.Z.E.S.A. they, had arranged that the man receiving hot more Jhan 17s 6d a week would suffer no , disability in '■ regard to relief work. i'(Applause.) The Bed Cross Society had accepted, the responsibility of pro- - viding necessitous eases with clothing to the value of about £10' a week, ; leaving the K.S.A. with, so much more for sustenance.. ; ,