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1946 NEW ZEALAND

NATIONAL PATRIOTIC FUND BOARD (REPORT OF) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30th SEPTEMBER, 1944

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Regulation• 21 of the Patriotic Purposes Emergency Regulations 1939

The Hon. Minister of Internal Affairs, Wellington. The National Patriotic Fund Board lias the honour to present its fifth annual report and balance-sheet for the year ended 30th September, 1944. I. Introduction The expenditure of patriotic moneys by the Board and its agents during the year constituted a record. This was due firstly to the need for supplying comforts and amenities to men of the Third New Zealand Division as well as Naval and Air Force personnel serving in Pacific islands under primitive conditions, and secondly to the need for servicing the Second New Zealand Division while on active service in the Middle East and Italy. In both theatres of war, changes were frequent, necessitating the establishment of many new rest centres or service clubs. As an offset against these increased demands, the home-defence Forces were largely demobilized, thus reducing expenditure in New Zealand mainly to requirements associated with mobilization centres for overseas drafts. The annual gross cash expenditure of the Board, exclusive of expenditure by the Provincial Patriotic Councils, was as follows : £ 1939-40 .. .. .. .. 233,737 1940-41 .. .. .. .. 547,644 1941-42 .. .. .. .. 1,097,944 1942-43 .. .. .. .. 1,601,725 1943-44 .. .. .. .. 1,857,281 £5,338,331 Gross cash receipts, again exclusive of Provincial Patriotic Funds, for the same period were £6,241,764.