RETURNED SOLDIERS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 101, 2 May 1933, Page 8

RETURNED SOLDIERS

PROVISION OF HELP

fi.S.A. AND WAR FUNDS

HEAVY EXPENDITURE

Tho necessity of caring lor tho many Returned soldiers in New Zealand has increased in past years, and today the organisations concerned in tho welfare ef these mou arc receiving heavy calls >ipon their resources, btated Mr. O. A. Leach, secretary of tho War Relief Association of Wellington, to a, "Post" Reporter today. Thero aro two bodies primarily interested in the welfare of returned men—tho New Zealand War Funds Council suid tho Returned Solfliers' Association. The New Zealand War Funds were subscribed by tho public primarily for the benefit of .sick and wounded sol'cliers, ho said. Tho War Funds organisations are not charita-ble institutions. JL'heir funds were subscribed for the (definite purposo of assisting disabled nien who apply for it by reason of their disability. There aro still in existence in the Dominion 55 war funds operating between Auckland and Tnvoroargill, and since 1915 they liavo spent nearly £5,000,000 out of their .original capital assets plus tho earning powers of their investments. These funds still possess between them some £600,000, most of •which is to the: credit of their respective sick and wounded soldiers' funds. TIT BUT NECESSITOUS. In 1920 it was decided to allocate the major portion, "of the- war funds to tho, purpose for which they had been originally subscribed—to aid sick and wounded me a. T^io balance of tho .assets was devoted to a separate fund for fit men with honourable service but in necessitous circumstances. Theso two funds jire Icriown, respectively us tho A and B funds. ' ( The position today is that many men ■who returned from the war with no war disabilities aro being forced by circumstances beyond their control to apply for assistance, and the result is that tho B funds are exhausted and liave had to be replenished by special grants from a reserve fund of about £149,000 controlled by the National [War Funds Council. This means that moneys, originally subscribed for the relief of sick and wounded soldiers (fund A), aro being partly diverted to fund B for the Telief of men inlnccessitous circumstances, and that both, funds iftro being rapidly diminished; "The National "War Funds Council is in effect a. reservoir for the replenishment of active war funds," said Mr. Lfcaeh. "Its resources are also primarily intended to benefit sick and wounded soldiers, but,, in view of tho acute' suffering of so many returned jhon during tho last few years the rouncil decided in 1927 that it would allocate moneys for ■ distribution [throughout the Dominion for the- relief of distress, and since that time £42,785 has been expended for that purpose." HELPING EX-IMPERIAL MEN. In.addition, ho stated, tho. National JCouncil is assisting overseas soldiers. Some years ago two sums of money wero, received from England and duly Expended. Since, then the council has distributed from tho New Zealand War Funds £5526 for distress Telief of exImperial, Australian, and Canadian soldiers. The council is at present in inegotiation with the Imperial authorities respecting further grants of money for the ex-Imperial men, in, the Dominion. "Turning to tho local aspect of the iiotivities of the War Funds," Mr. Leach said, "the War Eolicf Association of Wellington has disbursed in round figures £210,000, or in .other .words £1000 per month during the 17 years since its inception in 1915. Its fund B is exhausted, and its fund A is ione-tenth, of the amount that 'has iilrcady been spent. It has received from tho National Council, in replenishing fund B, amounts totalling £6456 10s, which has been, expended oh 2538 individual payments to 4072 applicant's. > "In regard to the adequacy of fund 'A it may be said that at March 31, 1920, there were 2130 permanent war pensioners. -In March last year the number had increased to 9504. That is to say, in eleven years the resources of fund A have been more than halved [coincident with an insreaso of 446 per cent, in tho number, of thoso ■whom it is designed to assist. WORSE TO COME. "On tho other hand those engaged $n extending assistance to returned soldiers arc only too well aware of the fact that tho peak of tho aftermath of the war has not yet been reached, and, further, that many cx-sorviee men will v certainly be in. need of assistance for at Joast 20 years to come. That will -be for a period much longer than tho war funds, will last. "The two bodies principally concerned with tho wclr'aro of returned soldiers —the War Funds and Returned Soldiers' Association—are today much snore closely co-ordinated than has preyiously been tho case. . There' is no 'doubt that it will require the dxoreiso of their united forces to overcome the xnany problems peculiar to returned soldiers. *' The U.S.A. happily is a growing organisation. Its headquarters aro in Wellington, and it now has 71 branches operating throughout the Dominion. Its capital assets wero provided in part by the soldiers themselves and constitute .the Canteen Funds, wh'.ch aro under the control of tho Canteen and Regimental f£'rust Funds Board, wi> 'a. which the New Zealand War Funds Lave nothing what.ever to do. "The E.S.A. and *,ho War Funds arc ihus separate bodied working for tho same purpose, but whereas tho War Funds and the canteen funds have do means at present of replenishing their resources the E.S.A. receives tho fjrocecd.3 of tho annual Poppy Day and Koao Day appeals. In 1931 tho trustees of the canteen funds granted through headquarters, for distribution by various branches of the K.S.A., £1000 per month. In August last year this grant was increased to £1500 per month, which is at present being continued.*' Tho policy o£ tho Canteen &nd, Regimental Trust Funds Board is to conserve the funds for future uso when other existing funds becomu exhausted. The grants j^ow being made for distress folief arc gradually reducing the capital, which is at present #190,000. NOT THE SAME DISTINCTION. . "The R.S.A.docs not make the same, iflistinction between sick and wounded soldiers and fit men as tho Now Zealand War Funds must do," continued Mr. .Leach. . "The K.S.A. assists men who are in distress,.irrespective of whether they arc disabled or not. Tho distress to which so many returned men are being subject mny be gathered from ] tho fact that the joint expenditure by I tho New Zonland War Funds and Keturned Soldiers', Association to mon in difficult circumstances hus amounted in .-the last-five years to £145,000, and this tloes not include any moneys expended by tho New Zealand War'Fundrf out of i their fund A, or by the subsidisation by' local bodies of part wages." The two association* in Wellington fere most closely co-ordinated, and each is made aware of i-he actions and dcci- j aions of the other in each of tho 200 applications conjointly dealt with oaeh Jveek. Much supplementary" service is feiven Jqt the Soldiers/ and Sailors'

Hostel, The- Terrace, and by the Salvation Army and; tho City Mission. Tho Board o£ Control.of The Terrace Hostel during the year ended March 31, 1933, providod 19,936 beds and 77,258 meals, of which 5064 beds and 23,9-15. meals were free. It also assists men to find work, and has a shop on Lambton Quay to dispose of articles made. The total expenditure last year was £3380. There aro two veterans' homes in New Zea-land-—at Auckland and Christchureh-— at which there arc at present 47 patients. . Tho Red Cross Society is maintaining at its own cost .three- homes for per-, mancntly or temporarily disabled soldiers. Tho,society spent £8000 last year upon coriforts for theso men. AFTERMATH OP WAX. "The aftermath of tho Great War cannot be realised or understood 'by those not brought closely into contact with it," said Mr. Leach, in conclusion, "but somo idea may perhaps be given the general .public as to the legacy of tho war by citing that today the organisations concerned in tho^wclf aro of soldiers aro receiving justifiable applications by men who served in the Boor War. The number of New Zcalandcrs engaged was 8000, and casualties amounted to 1 per cent. The number of New Zoalanders engaged in tho Great War was 100,000, and the percentage of casualties was 37, excluding those who fell in action. If applications aro being received from men suffering war disabilities contracted in South Africa 35 years ago, how many applications will be received twenty years henco from New Zealanders who served in tho Great War?" It was a question which presented much difficulty, and the problem of providing finance for the future was causing anxiety. t