PATRIOTIC ACTIVITIES

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 29, 29 October 1942, Page 4

PATRIOTIC ACTIVITIES

Wellington Provincial Council

DEBT TO NATIONAL BOARD

At the monthly meeting of the Wellington Provincial Patriotic Council yesterday the annual report and bal-ance-sheet were submitted by the honorary treasurer, Mr. B. O. Peterson. This concerns every patriotic body in the province, as all are part of the provincial machinery. .Mr. Peterson said that the year opened with a credit of £86,166/14/2 and closed with a credit of £28,438/9/1. The receipts during the year from all sources amounted to £167,853/4/1 and the payments to £225,581/9/2. The excess of payments over receipts amounted to £57,728/5/1 and represented the difference -between the opening and closing balances. The receipts from zones plus receipts to be apportioned over all zones amounted to £153,040/18/1, as compared with the budget requirements of £215,000. The committee was unable to make payment in full to the National Fund Board, and the amount originally proposed to ’be transferred to the Welfare Fund was also reduced. The administration costs totalled £2439/5/6 and represented 1.4 per cent, of the year's receipts. The amount paid for parcels and wool purchases was £15,327/5/-, of which £7186 represented wool purchases and £Bl4l cost of parcels. Last year the total cost of wool purchases and parcels was £9075/10/3, of which £3109 was for wool purchased and £5966 for parcels. The increase in cost of parcels was due in the main to the increase in Wellington’s quota by onethird. The amount' paid to the National Fund Board for part levy plus proportion of expenses of appeal was £175,497 11/5, compared with last year’s levy for general purposes, proportion of cost of goods sent to Greece and contribution to London Distress Fund totalling in all £58,161/11/10. At September 30 there remained £35,000 of the National Fund Board’s levy of £209,229 to be paid. The cost of running clubs and hostels was £10,835/7/11. Capital expenditure amounted to £5115/9/9, a total for maintenance and capital expenditure ot £15,950/17/8. As against this expenditure, however, the receipts from clubs and hostels amounted to £10,695 14/9, so that the maintenance costs of all clubs was only £l4O in excess of the receipts. When all the dubs were In full operation it was expected that the receipts would exceed the cost of running and return a portion of the capital outlay. The amount transferred to the welfare fund was £lO,OOO in lieu of the £50,000 originally proposed. The closing balance of the general account was £28,438/9/1, of which £15,052/15/- was invested and £2227 imprests in hands of zones. In concluding his report, Mr. Peterson remarked with regard to the clubs and hostels that the results were gratifying and the position on the whole was extremely healthy. ' fl'lie chairman, Mi’. T. C. A. Hislop, said that the provincial council still owed a matter-of £25,000 to the National Patriotic Board. -That, he thought, was due to the fact that the National Board had budgeted for £150,000 more than was needed, rather tremendous over-budgeting. He assumed that there would be a substantial reduction in the levy for the coming year. Mr. J. W. Andrews, mayor of Lower Hutt, said the thanks of the council were due to Mr. Peterson for the clarity with which he had put forward the accounts for the year, and the manner in which he was able to answer every question put to him. Mr. Peterson suggested that the accounts, in an abridged form, should be advertised, so that they would be circulated throughout the province. The council assented to tnat course.