RELIEF GRANTS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20485, 11 December 1934, Page 13

RELIEF GRANTS.

Position of Ex-Imperial Soldiers. WAR FUNDS COUNCIL POLICY. Relief given to Imperial and other overseas ex-soldiers from unemployment grants made by the National War Funds Council is to be subject to a strict limit in future, according to information received at last evening’s meeting of the executive of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association. The secretarj’- of the National War Funds Council advised that the executive had adopted the following resolution : “ That with respect to assistance to Imperial and other overseas ex-soldiers from the council’s funds, ordinary grants or instalments should be limited to a total of £o, and only in special circumstances should further grants be allowed. In cases where men have received up to £lO, any further applictions should be submitted to the council for decision. The council’s funds are rapidly being depleted and in the interests of our own soldiers must be conserved.” The president (the Rev F. T. Read) said that it would be difficult to give effect to the decision, as the assistance was granted from funds supplied by the National War Funds Council, the Canteen Funds Board and the association’s Poppy Day funds. The secretary (Mr E. F. Willcox) stated that he had discussed the question with the secretary of the National War Funds Council, who had agieed to compute the assistance from the grants made by the council at one-third of the total assistance given. Mr J. A. East, an ex-imperial soldier, said that if ex-imperial soldiers were accepted as members of the R.S.A. they expected, so far as relief was concerned, to be treated in the same way as New Zealand soldiers.

The secretary stated that ex-imperial soldiers represented about 15 per cent of the membership of the association. The proportion of ex-imperial men who were granted benevolent and employment assistance would be slightly higher. Mr Leadley moved that the National War Funds Council be asked lor a clearer definition of its policy regarding ex-imperial soldiers. The motion was carried.