PROVISION FOR DISABLED SOLDIERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6827, 21 June 1900, Page 2

PROVISION FOR DISABLED SOLDIERS.

Incredible as the fact may appear (says the "Times" of April 4), it is nevertheless true, that far the £595,000 which Lloyd's .Patriotic Fund has already^oß. KanTd available for soldiers or saHacs p^nnakenily disabled as the result of the war, there had, up to yesterday morning, been, only siiaC applications sent to the managera of that fund as distinguished' from otlher agencies at work for the relief of this class of'sufferers. Of the £95,000 referred to £587,000 has been received through' the Mansion House Fund, and! £58000 in dixedfc oonttabufrions for the special branch of Lloyd's Patriotic Fund, on the outbreak of <the war. Everything possible has been done to. bring the existence of tie fund to the lmawiedge of the rnenl ■Application forms have been sent to all the naval and mil, tary hospitals to ■which: Wounded or invalided troops are eenb on their arrival in England, and; notityfl have also. been, posted up in the wards and in the passages of those, hospitals, stating 1 that " patients in. this hospital who havfe been permanently disabled on account of wounds received) in action, or on account of sickness -which can be certified as having been caused by service in the field, are requested ito give in their names to tie medical officer in charge of their division, with a view to their cases being submitted to tine trustees of Lloyd's Patriotic Fundi Complete sets of papers have also been sen* to the depots of every corps and regiment represented in South Africa, and printed statements have been forwarded to the Wynbttcg Hospital at the Cape for distribution there and among the other base hospitals]; ' Yet the sum total of the applications, after six months' war, is, .thus far, only the halfdozen spoken of. About thirty forms have been received, in addition, from the hospitals, giving the particulars of men. who have left there permanently disabled, • but even thes& thirty have not yet asked for help, although papers have been pbatedi to them direct, calling attention to the existence of- the fund and the facilities offered for Betting' them _on tiheir feet again, .. Of -the cases' which -have- been . helped, reference may be made to libat of a gunner in ■ t#» Royal Marine. Artillery, who lost two fingers of his right hand fii the battle of Grasspan, as the result of a gunshot wound. This man applied to the fund on March 16. Three days later the fund paid ;into the Corps of Coanmdseionairies a mm of £5, wihich was just over the amount of bis entrance, fee, and the same day he became a commissionaire, and was allotted an appointment as messenger to the Royal Thames^ Yacht Club, with board, lodging, washing, and 12s a week wages, all thas being in addition' to fliis pension. Of other oases concerning which details have been received " from the hospitals^ but no applications from the men. 'themselves, reference may be made -to tohe-follow-ing :— (a.) Gunsihot wound of lexo wrist and hand, and .very little moveroamb in wrist joint; is at present incapacita/ted to thx> extent of (according to the recognised sca2e of these cases) thret-qraarters. (b) Damaged by lifting heavy Tre^lhts in the docks at Capetown, (c) Gunshot wound left" elbow* and asm ; some loss of power in left arm. (d) Lost left eye can duty in India, sight o£ right eye <now impaired by exposure on field service in South Africa; a± present incapacitated one-third, but may lose eight of right eye. The "paucity of actual applies.- 1 tions for assistance up to now may, perhaps, be accounted for by tin© theory thai; when the disabled warriors leave the ibospi- ' tals, witlh a free railway ticket in their pocket-, and perhaps some money bearded from local or other funds, with plenty of friends to welcome them home, they do mob feel the immediate want of 'help fnsnl Lloyd's Fund, though it as anticipated that/ they wall fall bac upon it later. It id thus uncertain. "waMit ■dtemands wiE iritianutely be made on tthe fund, bat in tthe meantime ihe managers have sent £1000 tot Natal to assist the disabled soldiers there ;' it ~is possible that a <trrrw-fci.T amount will shortly be oonitributed : to Canada, and coittmunications have been forwarded to aH tiro Australasian colonies, and likewise to Ceylon, with a view of>,asoerbainjmg what is being done there with regard to disabled; members of their contingents,, and whether pecuniary assistance is required. The 1 maip&gers have likewise sent instructions to Netley Hospital that they are willing to pay the cost of a great-coat for every disabled soldier leaving that institution, discharged from service, \rhx>, in the 1 opinion of the medical -officers, should be provided with one. A mumlber of cases Ihave occurred where, for want of a greatcoat? a man has had serious relapse on the journey home, being either unable :or tm.willing to pay tihe 15s which the Goventmenit want for. tihe coats they have-on offer. This 15s is now paid by the fund in -t3ia case of every man dweiwrged aliKe from hospital and from service who is certified tff be in wan>t of sudh a garanetit, and already it has paid for a first bnwdred, and 1 authorised the distribution of a second. It is satisfactory to learn that a complete working agreement has been, or is .to be^ carried out by which tiere will be no overlapping between 'Lloyd's x'atriotic Fund and the workers who are pronwfeing convalescent or permanent " homes " for disabled soldiers. Each will -have its own branch' of pMlantiTopic labour, one supplementing) the other. Lloyd's Fund aims more especially ait providing for men who, though perinanen'tly disabled in respect to active service, and discharged therefrom, return to their own ibomes, and want initial aid in securing such employment as frhey are stifli fit for ; though «t the same time permanent grants or assistance in other directions will also be given in case of. need. Ttbte.ooav voLescent homes will, on the , other hand, provide for a somewhat different class, w&ichl Lloyd's. . fund has not . itself 4ihe. complete organisation , for. dealing with, .though- its 'sympathies in this direction «re sJMym byj its haidog over a sum of £ioOoL'."*o ™l Soldiers' and Sailors 1 Help Society, '.which, und*r Princess Christian, is taking so active a part in tihe provision of " homes "for those 1 specially in need of them. , . .