PATRIOTIC FUNDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18335, 27 February 1923, Page 8

PATRIOTIC FUNDS.

AID, FOR DISABLED MEN. .VIEWS OF ASSOCIATION,; • [by : TELEGRAPH.—-2REBS ASSOCIATION.} 7 f , , WELLINGTON. Monday. . At yesterday's meeting of the Dominion Executive ; of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association, a report as to the position of war funds on January 31 was received from Colonel Pow. -On Armistice Day, 1918, there were 883 societies; now there are S3, stated the report/ and moneys held By various societies aggre- • gated £1,250,213. V . The position of the East Coast Maori fund was stated to be not at all satisfactory, but Mr; K. S. Williams, M.P., t was submitting a foil report on the matter. From July Ito December 31, 1922, the sum of £648 9s had been granted to ex-Imperial soldiers. The council had resolved not to grant any of its funds to supplement unemployment funds. , . A motion was carried, thanking Colonel Pow for his * report. : The chairman of the conference . stated that the canteen funds had been invested, and were producing an incoifie of £8500 yearly. It , was necessary to conserve the corpus of the'fund, but he thought interest should be treated as a liquid asset. • Mr. Perry urged that some of the money should be devoted to the training of exsoldiers for callings in which they could earn livings, particularly, as the Government was not now training ' men. The worst cases were stated to be men suffer-; ing from physical disabilities not " recognised by the Pensions Board, and families of these men had no means of subsistence ~ while the men were in hospital. - ; ; On the motion of , Mr. Smith, it was unanimously resolved to recommend the • Canteen .Funds Board to take expert opinion as to advisability of 4 securing a list fof disabled " soldiers willing to work in specified , occupations suitable to their disability for a specified number of years; that, after ascertaining particulars, a fully-qualified organiser should be appointed to carry the scheme* into effect, and that, if necessary, action should be taken in conjunction with the War Funds .' . Council. ■ v '' ' - The chairman raised no objection to Mr. Smith's motion, but maintained that the Canteen Board was not a management board, and he could not support any proposal to deal with the corpus of the und. '