WAR RELIEF

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 209, 29 May 1919, Page 5

WAR RELIEF

MONTH'S WORK OF LOCAL ASSOCIATION. Soine idea may be gathered from the following monthly report of the work ■ of the Relief Committee, which was submitted yesterday nfteruoou to the executive of the Wellington War Relief Association:—

"Since last meeting of the Executive Committee on April 30 the Applications Committee met on eight occasions and dealt with 351 applications. In addition to these there are 82 claims now un- • dor action; these, together with ■ thd seven claim's for war bursaries, submitted to the Educational Committee acting on .behalf of the National War Funds Council, and including the average of twenty new claims per diem that will bo recejved (luring the last four days of-tho month, . give ii total number of applications since * May 1 of no fewer than ,123, establishing a record over all previous figures. "During tho month under review assistance has been granted for such widely diverse purposes us the purchase of billiard cues and the burial expenses or , ■ the wife and infant son of a eoldier still serving his country overseas. An unusually large quantity of baby clothes has been supplied, and a number of men have been restored to their 'pre-eervice industrial position by 'tho purchase of carpenters , tools, ' ciibinetmakera , tools, paperhaugers' implements, , etc.; it was considered that the long service of theso men and' tho. heavy, allotments jto their dependants warranted a straight-out grant for tools of trade. Tho incidental expenses and cost of accommodation of a considerable number of men, proceeding" to employment per medium of the (Repatriation Department, have been paid; and small loans previously advanced to soldier settlers to enable them to secure a year's produce sooner than they other' wise could have douo, have been refunded to us, together with expressions of thanks for, help given. "Tho committee has also paid the fares of a largo number of wives and children proceeding with their husbands to em* , ploymont outside Wellington, or to undergo a course of training under the subsidy of the Repatriation Department whilst an exceedingly large number of • emergency grants and temporary weekly . allowances have been made, being urgently required by soldiers and their dependants, faced with au endless . variety of unforeseen circumstances. "Practically one-half of the claims dealt with by the eommitlee during the period under review were the responsibility of other societies, the amount of correspondence and'financial adjustment , thus entailed is exceedingly heavy, but it is ple.'.sing to record that upon notifi- ' cation of responsibility tho kindred orgauisation concerned generally directs the committee to deal with tho case at its discretion, time enabling finality to bo reached with a much smaller amount of , correspondence than would'otherwise be required."