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Chronicle (Levin), 5 August 1946, Page 6

♦ .. ; . AUCKLAND, August'- 2. The fact that during the last four years the Great War Funds Committee of the Joint Council of the Order of St. Oohn and the New Zealand Red Gross Society in Auckland had dispensed £30,000 to men returned from the-, iirst world war and their dependants : was' mentioned today by Sir Jahies Gunson, chairman of the committee. He was referring to a statement reporte.d to have been made at tlie aunual meeting of the central committee, Wellington, yesterday. . . Sir'.Oames denied the Wellington statement tliat servieeinen eligible for relief in Auckland . were paving for coniforts from their own pockets, with the help of the Returned Services Association. "Wellington wants to ruii everyt thing, and we are not going to aiiow it, ' ' said Sir James. Auckland has eompleto control aud adniiiiistratipii ofj its own funds, and for 30 years has i strenuously opiiosed centralisation in Wellington." Dissatisfaction at the way in whicli the Auckland branch of the Great War Funds Administrative Committee- of the | Joint Council of the Order of St. John' and the Red Cross Society was spend-| ing its allocation of money from the] fund was expressed in the anuual- re-i port of the committee. While the Wellington branch had sxient £1100 in assisting 558 ex-servicc j)atients in hospitals, the Auckland branch, in assisting 24 xialients, had spent nearly £710. At the annual meeting of the Dominion committee for the administration of the funds, which was held in Wellington recently, Mi*. L. O. H. . Tripp said that he thought that the Auckland committee should be urged to alter its way of spendiiig. A motion stating that no further allocations be made to the Auckland centrc until the centre's policy for thc distribution of funds is brought into linc with that of oLherj centres, was paCssed unanimously. Expenditurc by other centres was as ' follows: Canterbury, £512 12s 4d;j Otago, £321 17s 2d; Southland, £2S6| 19s 9d. Balances held by tlie centres j were: Auckland, £9149 12s 3d; Wellington, £17,397 19s 2d; Canterbury, £1090! 5s; Otago, £12,168 7s; Southland, £462 12s. Inciudcd in Wellington 's balance: was the value of the Dixon Street , property. j A resolution was received from the j Wellington centre that any attempt to ' alter the present control and adminis- j tratiou of the funds be opposed. A , Canterbury resolution opposed any j suggestion of winding up the commit- i tee. ' ,