WAR BELIEF WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16268, 29 June 1916, Page 9

WAR BELIEF WORK.

ADMINISTRATION OF FUNDS.

CLAIMS BOARD'S POLICY.

REVIEW OF FINANCES.

A report dealing with the operations of the Claims Board and the state of affairs m regard to the main patriotic fund which it is administering for the relief of sick and wounded soldiers and their dependants was presented by the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, chairman of the Auckland Patriotic and War Relief Association at a meeting of the executive held yesterday afternoon. Mr. Gunson stated at the commencement of his report that further applications on account of rent for Government sections recently taken up by returned soldiers have been considered, but the board, in view of the recent statement ny the Minister for Lands, had now ceased to make any advances under this heading. The Work of Revision. The report continued : " The board is t", en g a ged upon a revision of the (Whole of the grants since it commenced i its deliberations on December 21, 1915. considers that it is in accordance with [the trust and harmonises with the wish 01 the contributors to the fund that it should err on the side of liberality, rather _i- y h® adoption of a too stringent P Any assistance that has been granted by the board and supplemented ,y, a Government pension would not in mrf;^ r ° 1 V 1? " extravagant amount, particularly for men 111 a shattered condit w of health and with families, especially seeing it is a fact that many lof I- 6 'T vT e ' before enlistment, earning £4 to £5 per week. Estimated Annual Disbursements. to2°n,^ rfc T ent nto State that tllO with K +] er i ca ? es 6xam »nod and dealt and , th .°, board to June 24 was 397. and the total amount paid out under all headings was £3928 8s 2d. If the period 397* an I tf,at sum has been paid to tho 397 applicants be taken as a guide of h\ rsL? Ig * ht be considered the annual disursements from the fund, as far as the board was concerned, payments were at the rate of £7856 per annum. Added to f 928 8s 2d ' ft liability must be accepted for what will be a substantial

- e €» auusuaUU<*i amount for repayment of sums disbursed m the V aS £ by the Relief Committee to app.icant-s having a legitimate claim upon the Claims Board. That amount has not been as yet ascertained, but before the next meeting of the executive it will be available. Flow of Applicants. „.„£ n< ? the feat V re to which attention might be drawn is the fact that many of the applicants to whom votes have been made in the past have now ceased to draw upon the fund. The number of payees is a constantly fluctuating number; not necessarily always an increasing number, although new votes are weekly being made. It may bo expected, however, that the number of payees will increase until the close of the war, for the reason that those who may lie classed as permanent payess—principally dependants—will draw their votes for some years. These latter are monthly being increased in number, while at the same time there is the passing applicant who draws for a few weeks only. The immediate future will depend largely upon the policy of the Defence and Health authorities in returning sick and wounded men, but from information received there is not likely to be any shrinkage in the number. Some Difficult Cases. "The cases that occasion most difficulty are not- the wounded men in limb or body, for with such it is, in most instances, easv to determine the merit of the case, but those who suffer from sickness, such as heart strain, nervous breakdown, and head troubles resulting from concussion, etc. These latter cases are a source of anxiety, and many of them will continue to deserve long-continued assistance from the board, notwithstanding the fact that to the casual observer there is practically nothing wrong. lour board is still of opinion that the administration of- the Pensions Board calls for increased votes, for in many cases its vote is unjustifiably small. It has no hesitation in reaffirming this opinion, and in doing so is in a particularly good position to form a judgment, owing to the fact that it hears all cases personally, and has their condition supported by medical and official records." j The thanks of the executive were passed to Mr. Gunson for his comprehensive rej port, which was adopted.