Relief Funds.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20173, 27 February 1931, Page 10

Relief Funds.

Comment on the statement by the Earthquake Relief Fund Executive at Wellington about the rapid expenditure of. contributed money must begin with the expression of a hope that the ecutive's concern about the position will not stem the flow of subscriptions to the national fund. If,-as the Executive speir.i to suggest, there has been some trading on the public desire not only to help suffered quickly, but; to help them without any thought of parsimony, it is essential that the people should realise that relief will be required for some time to come. In any case errors of judgment during acute days of national emotion may be attributed to the "hearts and not to the heads of the relief administrators, It is to be regretted indeed that the Wellington Executive expressed anxiety about the amount of money already spent before it was in a position to issue a detailed statement of accounts. Even the Prime Minister does not yet know what the expenditure on relief has been. Without that knowledge it is futile on the part of provincial committees to urge the Government to declare its policy. If there should be any criticism of the Wellington Executive at all it will be directed against the apparently profligate expenditure on the supply of free petrol to motorists who were supposed to bo engaged m transporting refugees. If it is true that "scores of motorists obtained "petrol who should never have had a "gallon," it is a very unpleasant truth, but the Executive's publicly expressed concern over the matter no doubt means that waste and imposture will in future be eliminated.