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welfare service, and, in addition, the Board sent from New Zealand, as opportunityarose, tea, sugar, milk, &c, and provided £10,317 in cash. With the retrenchment of the Armed Forces the Board found itself with surplus stocks of goods of all types, as well as buildings and furniture. The overseas property was in general disposed of in the area in which it was located. The assets in New Zealand were sold by public auction or public tender, or direct to ex-servicemen on the recommendation of the Kehabilitation Department. In the disposal of its assets the Board has endeavoured to afford the greatest number of persons opportunity to purchase. The patriotic effort of New Zealand was a combined effort of every individual throughout the Dominion. Without the help of thousands of voluntary workers it would not have been possible to have provided clubs, rest centres, woollen goods, or the money to purchase canteen supplies, huts, newspapers, books and periodicals, gift parcels, sports gear, cinema equipment, and all the other items necessary to occupy the leisure time of the serviceman and to give him that little extra comfort which assisted so much in maintaining morale. During the war years the Government has made a very substantial contribution to patriotic funds. It has borne the salaries of the Board's staff, rent of office and store, fuel, travelling-expenses, freight on patriotic goods in New Zealand and overseas, and .since Ist October, 1942, the cost of prisoner-of-war food parcels. In addition, it has made a grant of £30,000 towards the cost of huts ; since April, 1943, met the salaries of welfare workers employed in the camps and stations, and provided Military and Air Force personnel overseas and in New Zealand to staff clubs and hostels. The total Government assistance to the patriotic effort was not less than £1,400,000. The following table sets out the receipts and payments (including investments) of the Provincial Patriotic Councils and of the National Patriotic Fund Board for the year 1945-46 :

Provincial Patriotic Councils

15

Receipts. Payments. Balance on. Balance on Hand as at Received, 1 Q4.-y_4.fi Hand as at 1st October, Payments. 30th September, 1945 (including L0~±O -tU. 1946 (including Investments). Investments). £ £ £ £ Northland 46,609 9,546 3,956 52,199 Auckland 202,316 33,259 7,580 227,995 Waikato 50,684 20,457 812 70,329 Bay of Plenty . 39,187 6,982 387 45,782 East Coast 51,477 9,114 10,400 50,191 Hawke's Bay . 123,312 11,623 1,997 132,938 Taranaki 86,509 9,311 1,374 94,446 Wellington 230,341 107,121 69,164 268,298 Marlborough. 19,408 3,371 1,186 21,593 Nelson 80,815 6,102 2,123 84,794 Westland 31,769 7,354 378 38,745 Canterbury 141,640 62,453 46,966 157,127 Otago 263,277 28,628 26,688 265,217 Southland 121,165 10,115 23,647 107,633 Totals 1,488,509 325,436 196,658 1,617,287