WAR RELIEF

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 287, 30 August 1919, Page 2

WAR RELIEF

6 MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION MANY APPLICATIONS FOR ASSISTANCE -Messrs. L. 0. H. Tripp (chairman), Jftmcs Jt'lntosh, C. A. Ewen, Alex. Macintosh', S. Kirkcaldie, C. 11. Luke; A. It. Atkinson, and D. M'Laren. -were present at a meeting of the executive of the War Belief Association held yesterday afternoon. ■ Tho secretary submitted tho following statement of financeßeceipts and payments account for the month of July, war fund account, balance at bank, .£3390 lis. 5d.; imprest account, .£247'Bs. 10d. Investments,' XOC.OM 14s. sd. Total funds as at July 31: Investments, 000 lis. 5d.; current accounts, ,03011 os. 3d.; ♦petty cash in hand, ,£2O. Accounts , amounting to' .£206 12s. 7d. wore passed for payment. Applications Committee's Report. Tho report of tho Applications Committee, which was passed, was as follows :— "Your committee met on nine occasions sinco last meeting of the Executive CommiU.ee on July SO, and dealt with._46S applications. 'Ihe total number of claims' received during the period August. 1-28, inclusive, was 543, comprising 289 new applications and 179 renewals and reconsiderations. Of these, 75 are still under action, but most of them will bo dealt with at tho next meeting of the committee. Tho average numlier of claims dealt with per week was 11", Requests for. assistance qre still coming forward freely from New Zealanders who left tho Dominion several years before the outbreak of war. There has again been an increase in clainis received from exImperial soldiers'and sailors, as well as from men .who have served with the Canadian and Australian' Forces. Some of' these men have been assisted to employment, whilst others -liavo been granted loans to enable thein tp establish themselves in 'business, or to go on the land. "Your committee authorised a considerable number of small'grants for tools of trade, - enabling men who made heavy, allotments to dependants to immediately resuino .civil employment; others have boon given orders for blankets, kits, clothes of various descriptions, temporary grunts supplementary to pensions—in fact, the diversity in the'nature of assistance granted by your committee render it impossiblo to outlino even the main headings of its work within the compass of this repof-t. "In so far as the female dependants of our soldiers are concerned, grants- have been made for suoh widely divergent purposes as the defrayal of confinement' expenses arid, burial expenses; for payment of medical costs; of rent and tradesmen's accounts of. all descriptions,' whilst a considerablo'nuinbcr of temporary weekly grants have been ■ authorised where the family has suffered a reduction in in.come, not fully recompensed by pensions granted, during the hiatus between discharge of tho soldiers concerned and their re-absorption ipto civil life. "There has .been a-tremendous increase in tho volume of indirect assistance represented 'by personal and written advice covering all subjects of interest, and importance to soldiers and their depen. dants, whilst an appreciation of the] worl of your committee is embodied in thi large number of letters of thanks ani appreciation that liavo been, and are be ing, addressed to it."