WAR RELIEF

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 156, 27 March 1920, Page 8

WAR RELIEF

1 HELP FOR THE DISABLED INTERESTING FIGURES ' Messrs. L. 0. H. Tripp (chairman),. C. Watson. James "M'lntosii, J. Lewis and K. ,T. P. Aldrich were present at the meetine of the Executivo Coimmttee. of the Wellington AVav Relief Association lipid vestcrday afternoon. ■ Jt was reported that at a meeting o, the -Advisory Board it was decided that the time had arrived for the adoption of a national scheme lor tho relief of permanently and partially disabled men, whether physical or mental. A suo-com-mittee was set up to formulate a schenw for submission !o tho various bodies, railing, that, the chairman said it had linen suggested that lie should call a conference of all the bodies in the ton district at Palmei'ston jSorth. with the view of forming a provincial iund on the lines of each body allocating towards the fund m much of tho money hold. Mr. Aldrich drew attention to the report in the Press that there was a man eoinu' round the Auckland district whose ! dutv seemed to be. to oppose any alteration to the existing stato of things. . The chairman said he would inquire into the matter. . . ... The chairman said he had 1 not called the conference of. Wellington district iimlies vet. as he had been getting information to place before the delegatesFor instance, the Pensions Department had informed him that there wero liW nermanentlv disabled meii. He was gettiii" a list of those men in hospital who had not yet been granted pensions. There wero also the cases of the men who broke down—which they would always have. The whole of the money now held, in New Zealand would be needed for-all these men and their dependants. Dr. Arnold Izard, who was a member of the Board, had sttpolied him with figures which threw some light on the situation. His list of those in need of assistance was as foillows:Soldiers (permanently disabled). I'M; soldiers (temporary), 24,000; dependants (temporary). UGS; permanent pensions (widows). 2026; "other dependants of deceased soldiers. ,5537 i children (about), fiOCO: consumptives, 1100. It was mentioned that the total, 40,581, was 50 per cent, of . the men who went to tlifl war. Mr. Aldrich said that many of the pensions would be temporary. ' Some surprise was expressed at the large number .of consumptives on tno list supplied by Dr. Izard 1 ; ~ The chairman said that, there would possibly be men who. would develop the disease. He knew of the case of one man who. on returning from the war, had taken up his profession again-Uiat of a solicitor—but who had since broken down and was now, the inmate ot a consumptive sanatorium/ He also expressed the view that the total number of cases to be helped one way and another, as compared with tho number who went away to the war. appeared to be very high.. . , ' - ' - Finantfe. •The report of the Finance Committee, whicht'was adopted, was as follows: "Your Finance Committee met on one ordinary and three special occasions, and considered six applications for loans. Two of them were declmed-one for a grant-of £150. being balance purchase urice of a motor-car, was declined because vour committee, from, previous oxDerience, regards this ljusiness as unsuitable for returned soldiers, and, also, because that particular calling is at the oresent time overcrowded. lhe other ivas an application for the establishment in a greengrocer and* confectioner s 6hop, proposed to be conducted by the soldier s wife, the husband being trained under the Repatriation Department subsidy, and was not granted, as the committee had been advised of the extreme difficulty nf procuring confectioners' supplies, and satisfactory arrangements in connection with the lease of the premises could not bo obtained. All the other claims were granted. One of them was to enable a. permanently partially disabled soldier -to acquire a homo of his own, and of tho remaining three, two were loans authorised, to soldier-settlers, and the other to enable a, returned officer to re-establish himself in his profession." The following financial statement was submitted by the secretary :-Reccipts ami payments account for the month 01 February. 1920—War fund account, oalance at bank. iW 19s.- Id.; imprest'account. balance at bank, .412-1 lis.: <£4f103 lfis. Id. Investments, ,£61,590 14s. od.; statement of total, funds as at February 2!). 1920—Investments. i5G1,590 145. ! 5d.; current accounts. ,£4003 10s. Id.; petty cash in hand. .£2O: total, £65,674 10s. 6d. Income and expenditure account for tho month of February, 1920-Expenditure, £'231-1 4s. lOd.: income. ,£1209 2s. Bd.- Actual excess of expenditure oyer income, £1075 2s. 2d. Accounts amounting to. Mi 7 10s. lid. were passed for payment. Applications Committee. The Applications Committee reported: -".During the period February 18, 1920, lo March 25. 1920, inclusive, tho total number of claims received was 498, comprising 145 new applications, and .194 renewals and reconsiderations. Tho remaining 159 have been sent to other societies for decision and subsequent action by us. A large number of claims for assistance have been lodged by men who have resumed civilian life, and, having become subiect to the particular circumstances reonired to manifest an incipient. but unsuspected war disability, have suddenly suffered a breakdown in health, thevand their (dependants being temporarily without any. income whatever. Your committee has noted with great concern a large increase in applications of this nature, and therefore, the execu-1 tive committee approved the disablement committee schema under which Ispecial | provision has been made under Fund A for treatment of tlieso claims; for over 50.000 men having been demobilised in 1919. it is obvious that most of tlie claims at present received, having been lodged bv men returned from one to four years ago—there must bo a ; he.ivv increase in applications of this nature during the next two' or threo years. Included in the applications were sevonteen from men ivho had suffered amputation, or others who had been so badly wounded that, although thev had 1 not- undergone amputation. have still been classed by your, committee as suffering economic disability- as the result of impaired physical condition. The usual grants to widowed mothers (luring tho period of their sons' unemployment and pending receipt of first civil wages, and to mothers, suffering hardship from other causes directly attributable to 'their son's military sorvices, have teen Other grants have been awarded'soldiers' widows und<r the varying circumstances warrnntin'" them, whilst disbursements have been 'made to. and on behalf of, soldiers-" wives for costs of medical attention rendered ueeesasrv l>v sickness, accouchement, and In meet various expenses incurred in mniiv diverse circunistnnecs. Tools of trade have beer, supplied to electrical engineers. enbinetmakers, carpenters, lilmnbers. bootmakers, and tinsmiths, liecause the men concerned had made large allotments to their dependants. ..Kits, suits of clothes, blankets, and many other articles have been supplied to men proceeding to employment, whilst other grants have been given tending to en-able-the soldier whose domestic position was adversely affected, as thn result of I his enlistment, to re-establish his home." | The report was adopted.