FUNDS FOR WAR WORK.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14988, 15 August 1919, Page 2

FUNDS FOR WAR WORK.

SOLDIERS- CHARGES AM) REPLY

FOR V.M.C.A

(Per Pross Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. The report of the Returned Soldiers' f&ociation Committee set up to inquire ito the administration of the V.M.C.A. ar funds has been fonvarded to Sir unes Allen. It said :: — The V.M.C.A, appeal was for comirts for. men m the trenches. Red 'riangle Day, 1918, realised something ke £150,000 sterling, regarding which . i# a'.leged no statement is available., according to balance-sheets issued, the .M.C.A. collected about £400,000, £31,200, or less than. 8 per cent., cached the men overseas m the form f trench comforts. The V.M.C.A. iatement is quoted as showing that 318,158 ,was remitted to Egypt m the wo years ended 1 September, 1918, and t is declared that no statement is subnitted as to the disposal thereof, 1-eav-ng it to be supposed . that the money ras pooled m the general fund with, the Vmerican and British V.M.C.A. Saiaies and administrative expenses amount•d" to £38,004, whiile the value of eom'ortß distributed to the men m the renches was. £51,290. A fui'ther computing is made that no etum ia submitted of the revenue from he Soldiers' "" Hostel, Wellington, or the Shakespeare Hut England, or from the ea-rqom m Lambton Quay, -Wellington, b'urthex*, tbV buildings, furniture, and jquipnient represent £17,678 m the ex[jeasesi but nothing appears m the statement of assets. JTurther, «■ sum of £57,;---5- for buildings, tents, and equipment is ■similarly treated. It is pointed out, that- in the British V.M.C.A. statement ci parallel amount of £70,000 disappeared m a like manner. Complaint is. also, made regardirig the redemption' of the coupons. The R«turned , Soldiers' Association comments that the moneys collected by the V.M.C.A. were for free distribution to soldiex's, and were never intended for trading ; . also that the" V.M.C.A.. still pays out- of the war funds the salary and. expeiiees of officers meeting returning drafts 1 , as well as the mauitenanceof the V.M.C.A. huts at Itotorua, Waipukurau, Invercargill, 'Hanmer, and Somes Island; AH these places,, it is. contended, are staffed and maintained on moneys collected" for the- Trench. Comforts Fund. The Y,M.C.A. National Executive issues a lengthy reply, summarising 1 the operations -during the war. These expanded through the exigencies of. war m an ever- increasing degree- and m directions not originally contemplated, including (work m the New Zealand military camps, hospitals, and sojdiers' huts, work on the troopships' from, and m New; Zealand, work m iflgypt and Palestine, including the Soldiers' Recreation Club at Esbekia gardeiis, Cairo, work m Bnglan'd at ail the military camps, ?and hospitals, and m London,- whence all operations m 'England. and ; France were oontifeiled, work m France from base to firing ling! and wqrk at Colon, Panama Cafial. The V.M.C.A. ■ National Executive comments on- the fact * that the R.S.A., "whose avowed object was to secure a. satisfactory explanation of matters raised m questions, approached the Minister with a request for a local commission, and then, , being unsuccessful, gave its statement to the press, without notice of any kind to the Y.M.O.A. The reply continues that the basis of the appeal for funds was always, general, not for any special branch of war work. The Red Triangle Day appeal realised £219,000. Itisnot true that the pri- . Mary basis of a.ppeal on that occasion was for the cpmforto of men m the tranches,' though stress naturally was 1 laid on this phase of war work. The full balance-sheet of the V.M.C.A. up to March 31, 1919, has been completed and audited, and is now m the committee^ bands. The balance-sheet, of the operations m England and France to the same date will be issued shortly. The full balance-sheet covering work m England and France tio 'November 30 1918 has already been published. Free seri vices to the men at the front, accounted | for £118,780, or -72 per cent! of the .moneys sent overseas for V.M.C.A. work. The administrative expenses were actually very low. The total income for V.M.C.A. war work m New Zealand and overseas was £361,451 whereof £163,800 was> remitted to London', as well as- sums to Egypt. A w?? °5 m is r^ till earning interest mN^ eiw Zealand. The policy was to conserve this for worktdbriny,; the winter of 1918---19j the money being remitted as Required. ;. .;. The R.S.A^ committee, bad overstated the V.M.C.A. war work administration by over £25,000, continued the reply probabiy through lack of knowledge! of what the V.M.C.A. had' done m, the firing line during the last two yeao-s. fhe mofiey sent, to Egypt w,aß expended fn connection with the British V.M.C. A. tor Nev?i .Zealand troops to receive a^ll the attention: Oijly ojje Naw Zealand V.M.C.A. man: waa there, and it was; obviously impossible for him to create a special organisation. The New Zealand soldiers were gainers by tiiis arrangement, which was continued throughout the war. The Wellington Soldiers' Hostel accounts had been audited, and shortly will be published. The Shakespeare Hut was run by the British organisation, the New Zealand V.M.C.A. paying £5000, which is about one-third of the cost. The question of the inclusion : of the pJant m the assets had been decided by auditors, aud the iwas not concerned with what other associations did. Regarding trading profits from the canteens, they reverted to the men m the shape of free comforts. In conclusion, tho Y.M.C:A. states that the members oi the committee, at their own expense, spent considerable time overseas to satisfy themselves tliat the money was being spent m accordance with the wishes of the donors, i The V.M.C.A. lias done ite best at home ' and at the front, and is content to leave! its case to the judgment of its contributors.