WAR DISABILITY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22071, 29 March 1935, Page 14

WAR DISABILITY

FUNDS FOE RELIEF PLAN FOR DISBURSEMENT EX-SOLDIERS AND DEPENDANTS AVOIDANCE OF OVERLAPPING Funds provided by the joint commit-' tee of the British Red Cross organisation and the Order of St. John in Auck-' land are to be disbursed again this year by the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association, according to a report from the claims board received at a meeting of the executive committee of the association yesterday. The funds are for the relief and assistance of sick and wounded soldiers and ! their dependants, and the dependants of soldiers killed as a result of active service.

It was stated that the arrangement had been agreed to by the board to avoid overlappingfor economy of ' administration without impairing the benefits offered by the fund to eligible applicants. A considerable saving was indicated in administrative cost, with resultant benefits to those concerned. The board had entered into the arrange-' ment only for the current year, and within the limits -of the funds available from the joint committee. Supplementation Provided The administration of patriotic

moneys would be as in the past, the re- / port continued, but the arrangement would provide for a supplementation, perhaps on a little wider basis, as the . funds concerned were available not only for Auckland men or their dependants, but for all Empire' soldiers suffering disability as a result of the Great War, The board would have the advantage of meeting pressing cases on a- wider basis than the Auckland funds permitted. The arrangement with the joint committee was approved. . The board further reported that a . considerable demand had been made on , it during the quarter under review. Of 1126 applicants, 775 were granted assistance in soma form and 145 were deferred for investigation. The cash paid to applicants during the period was ; £1521, while work provided for men who were able to undertake it repre--: sented a cost of £906. A small amount of the disbursements was recoverable, by refund from Southern associations. Throughout the quarter the boardhad been approached with a view to ;< extending the benefits of the associa- < fcion's fund generally to returned men in necessitous circumstances. This raiseda question which from time to time recurred, cutting across the policy of the association, as well ns being at variance with the conditions under which the fund was originally raised. The terms ' of the administration of the association'# " A " fund were to provide money, equipment or relief for those enlisting from the area of the organisation's operations who might be wholly or partially incapacitated from a cause arising during war service, and for the dependants of such persons Or those who died on active service or from a cause during service.

Adherence to Conditions The association's objects were wider under other clauses, ""but the 1 money raised under them, the " B " fund, had long since been expended. The association was confined to the "A" fund, and whatever the civilian needs of re-' turned men or their dependants the fund could not be used for the alleviation of civilian hardship or necessity. It was not a question of what the board' would like to do —it often had the desire to assist cases before it—but it found itself bound by the terms of the fund, , Its administration for 19 years had been uniform, despite considerable pressure periodically to divert money for more general forms of assistance beyond the scope of the fund. . The chairman, Sir James Gunson, said it was felt necessary to explain th# position, •as there had been considerable agitation for wider use of the. fund.