ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 158, 22 July 1937, Page 7

ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS

War Relief Association's Work Critidaed administrative costs A defenee of the work of the Hawke's Bay War Relief Association in assisting returned soldiers to obtain pensions was made by several members at the annual meeting in Napier, Toilowing criticism by the secretary of the Napier branck of the Returned Soldiers' Association, Mr. G. B. Menzies, in regard to the overlapping he alleged to be taking place in this work, and also the high administrative costs of. the Wa# Relief Association. lt was shown by other members that not one penny of the money raised for the beneht of sick and wounded soldiers had been expended on administration. The association, throiigh its policy of advancing loans, had assisted thoiisands of fit ,men in a time of need. lt was further siibmitted that very few of the branches of the Returned Boldiers' Association had suifieient xesources to carry on the peneion work which required a good deal of expense and which could dnly be done by thorougbly experienced ofiicials. The aim of the association was to promote the welfare of tho returned nien and its eflorts had been acknowledged by the grateful appreciation expressed by largo numbers Who had reeeived assistance by Way of grants or loans. "FOr about £160,000 spent in advances, from £40,000 to £50,000 has been Spent in administration,'' said Mr. Menzies, "and the returned soldiers ask you gCntlemen to get down to hard faets to whether that expehditure is right. In the period of your assoeiatioii's Operations you havo in addition loaned about £170,000 and got about £l36,000 of it back. Thefe niust be about £20,000 that has conie out of the returned soldiers' own pockets.

"Do you tkink that those people who subscribed to the fund.in the war years thougiit tbdt atiy of it would be loauCd OUt tO the sOldiferS Ut iiiteresi:. ' ' Pound An AppliOation, * Mr. Menzies added that the last paontli's figures for the Napier branck showed tbat 21 applicationS were considered, at aii administrhtive cost oi £18 15/-, or nearly a pound aih. application. He stated tbat the association was the only one in New Zealand that dealt with pension work— the Wotk of the Retufiled Soldiers' Association. "Wheu a soldier cons-iders that he 'sbould get a war veteran's allowari.de or a pension, the least he cari do is to put that before his Own associatiori," coritinued Mr Meilzies, "In passing ris by andi coming to the Hawke'S Bay War Relief Association, he knows that the applicrition Will be made in due coiirse, and that m the meantime he will be glveu a grant to e&rry him alOng until hia case is heard. Iri orie case we idUnd that a nian had got a grrint from botli assoeiatione. " ln branch Wdrk alOrie, tho speaker contended, by working in with the Returned Soidiers' Association, the association would be able to save twothirds of the brarich expenses. "We would ask you to see," he coriciuded, "that the operations of the Hawke's Bay War Relief Association do not iriterfere unduly with the work df the Returned Soldiers' Association." Pit Men Never Turned Down. "i do not iike the idea iri the remarks of Mr Menzies that those wiio gave the money ddd not expect tho soldiers to pay interest on it, ' ' commented Mr J. Corkiil. "That is not Very kind, as the fund was originally fOr the assiStarice of siek and Wounded soldiers and their dependenta, but during the years of the operati.on of the rifeSdciatiori a fit mad Has never been turned dowri an application for a loan, and they would not under the original intention be entitled to any benefit." Mr W. Hart: The Returned Soldiers' Association would never get any better results than have been gtft by the War Relief Association. "The work is just beginnirig— mariy men are bre&king up, and we have gbt to do sqmething for them,'' said Mr M. S. M. Quigley. "It is the deep human interest we have to take— the work behind the scenes. I speak of the pensions work and aiso of the other Bide of ihe work, that is never seen on paper." Not Too Much Paid. Mr T. H. Ringiand, Who warmly supported the past administration of- the association, stated that he could sriy without fear of contradiction that f.t had not paid a, penny too much for the manner in which its funds had .bedn cared for and safeguarded. He would be sorry to see any drastic change 111 the present eystem of running the association, which had stood the test of time. '"I would like at to be distlnctly understood that not one penny of thc money originally subscribed had been expendbd on administi'ation. It hris ail coine froril interest Qn invdstments, J ' said Mr C. H. Gritchley, Who added that every branch comiriittee had fully co-operated with the branch of the Returned Soldiers' Association in its districti Mr G» S. V. Wenley cOnsidefed that it was not a fair gilide to pick out the applications dealt With by a brauch for one toonth only. The chaifnjan, Mr J. N» Barrie, poirited out that pracfcically all the pther cbntres in New Zealand InVested tlieiir funds iri gilt-cdged SQcuritieS anti did not givo assistance td fit men. He did not fchink it right that tho assoc'rition should be twittod about cbarging interest which Was ftt ri rate mbch below tbe ruling rate ckarged for loans. Many returned ttieu bad stated that if it had not been for the loans a'dvanced them by the associatibn they would have been obliged td walk off tlie r farms. ■ In regard to pension work the ke tunied SbJdirirs' AssdCiatibti branches iu HaWke's Bay liar] not tlie resorirees tO caify ori this work, itntl it' it had not been takou up by tlie "assoCiatioli the ro would be a number of returned men in Hawke 's Bay without pensions

to-day. • "'The association has been criticised for taking up pensions woris, but in my opinion, the soldiers have benefited greatly by it," added Mr Barrie. rriends of Soldiers. Mr Quigley; Thfe proving of value to the returned 'solQaef is something mofe than money. We branch secretaries should not be looke.d upon as ofiicials, but as friends out to help the returned men. • Mr J, H. Goldfirich appreciated the remarks "made by Mr Menzies, as it gave an opportunity to justify the administration as carried but by the association. As a returned soldSer he had ubtMrig but the 'highest appreciatio'n of the great Work donb by the association for thb returned nien. This questiori had coine before the Hastings braneh'of the Retrirned Soidiers' Association, and it had come to the coixclusion that the expenditure Ori administration had beeri jristified, The branch was also .satisfied that it could not carry orit the perisionS Withorit the special payment of a riiari for it. Mr Goldfincn added that he Cbuld give an assriranee that there was not any overlapping as far as the Hastings branCh was concerned. Mr Menzies brought the diebussion to a close by stating that the returned soldiers were fully appreciative of the Work carried on by the assoCiatioix, adding that if it had not been fbr the efforts of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association there Would prob* ably riot have been the pension or Various allowarices to apply for. The chairman, dn acknowledgihg- the great efforts made by the Returned Soldiers' Association in this direction, added that it was only of late that the public Were realising the great Work that had been carried on by the association.