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Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 138, 7 December 1929, Page 10

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PATRIOTIC FUNDS

THEIR LENGTH OF LIFE

LOCAL .WAR RELIEF

Possibly, apart from tho men themselves, those most interested in tho Soldiers' Rehabilitation Commission, at present sitting in Wellington, are the twenty-two "war relief" associations in New Zealand which administer funds for tho assistance of men suffering from war disabilities. Some useful information on the position of the local society, the War Eelief Assocition of Wellington, was given to a "Post" reporter yesterday by Mr. A. O. Leach, secretary. It was on the 2nd December, 1915, that the association was inaugurated, so that it has just completed its fourteenth year's operations. The money with which it started was approximately S 90,000, subscribed by the public of Wellington City and suburbs, extending north as far as Upper Hutt. The great bulk of tho money was raised in 1915 by means of a queen carnival, which brought in about £70,000, and by the art union for 2000 acres of Waikato land, which added £15,000 to the funds. The public gave this money more for sick and wounded soldiers, and the constitution of the association provides that it be administered for "the relief and benefit of wounded, incapacitated, and necessitous soldiers and sailors and auxiliaries, and those in any way dependent upon.them, or those dependent upon deceased soldiers and sailors and auxiliaries." Since its inauguration the association has spent £181,520, or more than twice what was subscribed, and because Wellington is the centre of both islands and the capital of the Dominion, through which many men pass, the local association has carried out a tremendous amount of work on behalf of other societies, thus incurring much irrecoverable expense. A FALSE IDEA. "There is quite a general impression, even amongst the returned men themselves," said Mr. Leach, "that there is heaps of money available, and we are just 'sitting tight.'" That was not a fact, as the following explanation of the finances will show. The total available funds Of the local society were approximately £22,000, which at the present rate of expenditure would mean a prospective life of from five to. six years at ■ the Four years ago the life of the whole of the funds in' the Dominion was anticipated at sixteen years; but-during the Vast three years the' fate of expenditure had increased, so greatly that there was now no liklihood of them lasting for longer than eight years. Nor was there any means of proving or assuming that the present rate of expenditure would hold good. There was every evidence that it-would increase, and so still further curtail the life of the Dominion funds. The only method of prolonging the lifo of the funds of the different associations was to call upon the War Fund Council for assistance when their own were expended, and the Wellington Society would most likely be the first to do so, said Mr. Leach. During the war many small country centres where comparatively few men had enlisted, and which, therefore, had not now many claims upon them, had exceedingly large funds, generously donated in the first place by wealthy farmers and others in the district. Some years ago those associations suggested that war memorials might be erected with the money, as it was more or less lying idle, but this was rulfd out as. being illegal, because it was not the purpose for which the funds had been subscribed. Away outjof. the difficulty; was found in giving, the National War Funds Council power to take these moneys for apportionment to war relief associations with depleted funds, but many calls upon them. The gross funds of the War Funds Council were £169,189, and included in that sum were sundry special trust accounts (£6692), secured loans (£6760), and the estimated value Of buildings, huts, and equipment (£13,084), leaving the net available funds at £142,000. Unless the assets were realised, and apart from income from investments, there was no more revenue for the council. FOREWARNED, FOREARMED. If there were those who felt they could have been more generously treated by the association, they should remember that because of the purpose for which it was raised the committee has contended that the balance of the funds must be reserved for sick and wounded soldiers, always, of course, with the reservation that' each case must be dealt with on its merits. It should be' remembered, too, that while New Zealand's patriotic effort was unsurpassed by any part of the Empire, or by any of the enemy countries, nearly 90 per cent, of the money was now spent. The position that existed today had not caught the committee unawares; its members foresaw it and so had practiced strictest economy all along. It was interesting, also, to note, said Mr. Leach, that with the exception of those whom death had removed, all the original members of the various sub-committees into which the association was' first subdivided were still in daily attendance at the office. 'No member of the committee had ever received any. remuneration for his services. Since the ' inauguration of the association, 50,811 soldiers and their dependents had- been interviewed, and 37,931 aplications considered in the course of. 5110 committee meetings. Mr. Leach made it dear that the work of the asoeiation was to supplement that done for the returned men by the Government. It should be again emphasised that the purpose of patriotic organisations was to augment, in any way deemed necessary or advisable, the provision made by the Government to '• re-habilitate sick and wounded soldiers; to assist them in any of the numerous directions impracticable to the State, and in all e« cuinstauces to function in such a manner that the expenditure of patriotic funds should neither enable, encourage nor assist any returned soldier to contract himself' out of any benefit to which he is, may be, or should be entitled -at the hands of the Government of New Zealand. GREAT WAR SUFFERERS ONLY. There was another point. Sufferers through the Great War only were eligible for assistance through war relief associations. South African veterans could make no claim, but it should be remembered that while the disability percentage in the case of the Boer War was one, government assistance for soldier survivors had recently to be solicited for them, some twentyseven, years after they had seen service. In the Great War the disability percentage was 37, a suggestive comparison. "What is going to happen when our funds are used up? We don't know. What we do know is that the need of them will exist for many years after they are exhausted,' 3 concluded Mr. Leach. He declined to comment on the possibility of cither a call being made on the public for money when the coffers of war relief associations were empty, or of tho Government then bearing the rcseponsibility, but he stressed the ability, compared with government departments, ot' such an association as the Wellington War Relief to cope expeditiously with urgent

demands for assistance. "We deal here with everything from birth to death," said Mr. Leach, "and the essence of the contract in most of outwork is time. In hundreds of cases immediate action must be taken in some form or other.''