EVELYN FIRTH HOME

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24103, 23 October 1941, Page 10

EVELYN FIRTH HOME

CLOSING NEXT MONTH CARING FOR THE PATIENTS A statement that arrangements had been made for closing the Evelyn Firth Home on November 13 was made yesterday by the chairman of the controlling committee, Sir .Tames Gunson, when a correspondent's complaint about the committee's decision was referred to him. Sir -Tames added that the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, and the Health Department had both been notified and the department had informed the committee that it would assume responsibility for the care of those remaining patients who needed assistance after the home was closed.

In his letter the correspondent urged that not only was the home essential for the welfare of the present patients, but it should be extended to receive similarly disabled men of this war. Sir James said it should be clearly understood that the activities of the committee and of the home related solely to the last war.

"The position for some time," he said, "has been that the cost, of maintaining the home is out of all proportion to the use made of it by perm-anently-disabled ex-servicemen, for whose benefit it was established. The capital funds controlled by the committee will be held in trust for the benefit of ex-servicemen of the last war and their dependants, and will be utilised for this purpose through the Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John."