WAR RELIEF

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 36, 12 February 1931, Page 9

WAR RELIEF

WELLINGTON ASSOCIATION

YEAR'S ACTIVITIES

The fifteenth annual report of the War Relief Association of Wellington, to bo presented at next AVcdncsday's annual meeting, disclosed that since the inception of the association, in 1915 to the 31st December, 1930, the committee has advanced loans totalling £29,686 6s 3d. Of this £24,776 6s has been repaid, whilst the balance outstanding is £4910 Os 3d, nearly all of which is • repayable during tho years 1931, 1932, and 1933. During last year the Finance Committee dealt with SS cases, and the Applications Committee with 200 C, making a total of 2096 eases during tho year. Provided that actual evidence of. war disability is disclosed or that it is reasonable with or without a medical board to presume such disability no application is excluded from consideration. There was considerable diversity in the nature of the requests made for assistance. Some resulted in the obtaining for,applicants a supplementation of pensions, others embodied maternity arfd funeral expenses; grants for assistance to proceed to employment; the provision of board and lodging, of clothing, the release of liabilities of many different descriptions, and in other directions. Since the committee held its' first meeting it has dealt with 39,543 applications, whilst its official files now number' 11,850, or nearly 12 per cent, of the total membership of. the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The number of persons who called_ at the offices.of tho association during tho year under review was 3359; of these 2484 applied for direct assistance, whilst the remainder were in search of information or advice. "It may be >necessary to point out again," says the report , "that tho actual expenditure of the association is by no means1 a correct basis upon whicVto estimate cither the extent or the real value of its work. For example, the number of applications actually presented to the committee as the result of a verbal request personally submitted to tho interviewing officer was 1745,, representing only 52 per cent, of the total number of personal interviews which occurred dur-

ing the year. The explanation is found in thefaet that, including written applications, 76 per cent, of the association's work is comprised of advice upon and assistance as to how to obtain any of the benefits available to our returned soldiers and their dependents under the legislation that has been enacted for that purpose; and thus only one quarter of the total work performed by the association is reflected in its balance-sheet." Altogether, 53,503 people have been interviewed by tho association during the fifteen years of its existence, and, excluding more- than 25,000 circulars, orders on tradesmen, etc., 54,001 letters have been written on behalf of ov.r soldiers and their dependents. Tho total funds collected to the end of December last amount to £186,515 0s lOd. The expenditure last year amounted to £.7178 2s 3d;'and the total outgoings for the fifteen years now amount to £157,712 ,17s lOd. I