YEAR’S BUDGET

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 17 February 1942, Page 6

YEAR’S BUDGET

I NELSON PROVINCIAL PATRIOTIC COUNCIL OVER £30,000 REQUIRED The arrangements made between the . National Patriotic Fund Board and the 1 Provincial Patriotic Councils is that the ■ Provincial Patriotic Councils shall be the sole collecting agents for all patrio- „ tic funds and that they shall accordingly provide the National Board with the money required by it for its work on behalf of the Fighting Forces generally. 1., this respect the National Board is in effect the Provincial Councils’ agent and this has been recognised by the boa-d in that representatives of the i Provincial Councils were invited to i meet the board in conference to dis- • cuss and settle the board’s budget for 1 the year ending 30th September, 1042. This conference was held in Novem. ' ber last, and the Nelson Council was ? represented by the chairman, Mr E. R. 1 Neale, and the secretary, Mr F. Mit- ■ che 11. The whole of the board’s budget was 1 examined and discussed in detail and 1 ultimately passed at a total of £467,200. Included in this sum is an amount of £150.000 which is to be held for the relief of distress from air raids in Great Britain and which will be remitted as the occasion and necessity arises. The board’s budget of £467,200 is allocated among the several Provincial Councils on a percentage basis which is fixed on a combined population and capital value basis—the quota for this province being 2.3 per cent, which amounts to £10.745 12s. ’ In addition to the requirements of the National Board for its normal activities a further sum is required for the Sick, Wounded and Distressed Fund which is administered by the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and NZ. Red Cross. At the date of the conference the balance held in that fund was £285.500, made up as follows: For Sick and Wounded £115,500 For Prisoners of War £170,000 It will therefore be seen that if no further money were raised for this fund, it would at the end of the year be sadly depicted. In the opinion of the conference it was desirable that the fund should not be allowed to fall below a certain minimum amount which lias been fixed at £400,000. It has accordingly been decided that a levy be made on the Provincial Councils for the • sum necessary to maintain the fund at j this amount —the total levy required being £233.841, of which this council’s quota is £5,378 7s. j In addition to these levies, the Pro-| vincial Council has to provide for its | own expenditure on local relief, grants, j etc., to make adequate provision for i the building up of its Rehabilitation! | Fund. It has, moreover, to provide an | amount for contingencies and for unexpected calls that may come as the reI suit of developments in the war situa-J ! The executive has accordingly drawn j [up the following budget for the year I ending 30th September, 1942: j [National Fund Board Levy 10,745 j i Sick. Wounded and Distressed Fund Levy 5.378; 1 Local reliefs, giants and genexpenditure 3.000 Rehabilitation Fund 12,000 Contingencies and unexpected calls 10,000 £41,123 Less amount in hand at 24/11/41 10,648 £30,475 If these figures are attained the position of the Rehabilitation Fund at the end of the year will be: Amount now in hand £35,000 Add amount collected during year 12,000 £47,000