WAR RELIEF

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 24, 30 January 1933, Page 10

WAR RELIEF

WELLINGTON ASSOCIATION

YEAR'S OPERATIONS

During the past year, states the" annual report o£ the Wellington War Relief Association, 66 applications were received, of which 29 were new claims, and 37 were revisions of applications previously dealt with.- The former totalled £2445, and the latter £2590. Loans were approved to the value of- only £34 10s, the reason being that, by general resolution, the committee has affirmed its inability, by depletion of its resources, to continue to make advances of this nature. The total sum involved in the 66 cases dealt with by the committee amounted to £5035 Is Bd. LOANS GRANTED. Since the inception of the association in 1915 to the 31st December, 1932, the committee has advanced by way of loans _29,720 16s 3d, whilst the balance outstanding is £4148 3s 3d, nearly all of which is repayable during the years 1933, 1934, and 1935, and against which a reserve fund o£ £1382 ]2s 6d was established several years ago. The major portion of the outstanding advances is covered by various forms of security, but the committee realises that some loss is, of course, unavoidable^ most of the loans having been made to disabled men who have little or no real security to offer, and many of whom may at. any moment be deprived of, or become unable to earn a livelihood. As stated in previous reports, the committee, approving at its first meeting the policy o£ short-dated investments, so far as is compatible with the maximum degree of earning power, have not locked up the funds for lengthy periods. CASES DEALT WITH. "The Applications Committee—with the exception of loan' cases—has ultimately dealt with every claim submitted to the association; for this purpose 48 meetings have been held during the year ended 31st December, 1932, when out of 2948 applications received, 2734 cases were disposed of," says the report. "Of these 1061 were submitted by Wellington men, 211 were dealt with by other societies for us under out- directions, 214 were under action as at 31st December, 1932, and the remainder 1462 applications were submitted by men who are the responsibility of other societies, for whom we act as their agents. Included in these were 584 claims from overseas soldiers, and 50 from naval men on account of the New Zealand Sheepowners' Acknowledgement of Debt to British Seamen Fund.- Thus including, the 66 eases dealt with by the Finance Committee, -the Central Committee (55) and the Wellington Flock House Committee (34) the total number of claims received by the association during the j'ear under review was 3103. "Provided that actual evidence of war disability is'disclosed or that it is reasonable with or without a medical board to presume such disability, no application is excluded from consideration. There was considerable diversity in the nature of the requests made for assistance. Some resulted in our obtaining for : applicants supplementation of pensions, others embodied maternity and funeral expenses; grants for assistance to proceed to employment; the provision of board and lodging; for clothing, the release of liabilities of manydifferent descriptions, and in other directions.