NEEDY EXSERVICEMEN AND PATRIOTIC FUNDS

Chronicle (Levin), 22 July 1947, Page 5

NEEDY EXSERVICEMEN AND PATRIOTIC FUNDS

-Press Association

By Telegraph-

AUCKLAND, Juiy 21. Enipliasising that they would not have ex-soldiers of auy vvar iiving in nced in the citv, the M ayor, Mr. J. A. C. Alluni, declared at a meeting of tlie Auckland Provincial Patriotic Council that if money were available for the assistance of ex-servicemen of the Boer war ana iirst world war, it must' be found. "If people are sitting on Ihese funds thev will have to get off their seat, " he remarked. Mr. Alluni said that in Auckland the patriotic funds would find all that was needed for tlie proper welfare of exservicenien of the second world war ana their dependents. The Mayor tnade liis reinarks as chairman of the council after Mr. a. Ensor, of Thames, had urged the expenditure of patriotic funds witliin the lifetinie of tlie serviceuien for wliom the money was contributed. He said that if the £4, 500, 000 in the patriotic funds could be treated as a wliole and drawn off at the rate of 4 per cent annually for allocation to exservicenien 's organisations on a capitation basis, there would still be £1,300, 000 at tlie end oi 30 years. Mr. Ensor referred to a statement in the report of the Xational Patriotic Fund Board that while the present period of comparative prosperitv lasted there would be small demands on patriotic monevs. He thought that while sucli a colossal suin was available it sliould not be necessary for exservicenien 's assoeiations to make appeals to the public for funds to aid foriner soldiers. Mr. A. P. Postlewaite, president of the Auckland K.S.A., quoted the

example of pennanently incapaeitated men receiving a war veteran 's allow ance of £2 from which they paid 32s (id for a hed and tray, leaving only 7s (id to nieet all their other needs. Mr. Alluni pointed out that the ligure of £4,500,000 mentioned by Mr Ensor included the canteen fund of £809,000 which came out of the pockets of the soldiers and belonged entirely to them. Another £400,000 was set aside for "the Joint Council of the Eed Gross and St. John for work among siek and injured and the totni amount wctuld Ve further reduced by expenditure on the proposed veterans' homes.