MONEY FOR SOLDIERS.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 February 1919, Page 3

MONEY FOR SOLDIERS.

BIG SUMS IN HAND.

QUESTIONS FOR DECISION

Now that the war is over there will doubtless be a good deal of curiosity; oil the part of the public as to the fate j of the several funds held by various • bodies which were raised for the rclief, succour, and benefit of the men , who helped to win the war and their ( defendants. According to a return j prepared after Armistice, <Noveiu- ( her 11th) bv the War Funds Branch of 'the Internal Affairs Department, | there was at that time a sum of j £1,833,000 held by the various war- 1 born societies in New Zealand. Of . that amount £1,'1*20,000 was held by | the war relief associations, through- j out the Dominion, which bodies have been thrown into a state of quickened activity through the arrival back in New Zealand of so many men during the last six weeks. As the duties oT such bodies are fairly clearly defined—to help soldiers and their dependants who are actually in need of help—it is not anticipated that they will have too much money for the needs ol the next two or three years, particularly as it is not likely that there will beany accretions to the funds by way ol voluntary subscription now that the war is over, or until the need of more rnoriev is made manifest.

There, are, however, other funds, the fate of which will have to be determined in the near future. Ihe 1 icolcs of the War Funds Branch show that in November last £227,000 held on account of soldiers’ comforts — comforts for soldiers in the camp, field, or

hospital, the greater part qf which should ho available for other purposes beneficial to the soldiers. There was in November a sum of £lll,OOO held by the'll ed Cross Society, whose duties

practically ceased with the termination of the war, and the clearing of m the New Zealand hospitals in France and England. In addition to those moneys there are smaller sums collected by other bodies, such as the Navy League, who still will have the opportunity of disbursing them in strict accordance with the purpose for which they were raised.

In the case of the National War Funds Council a sunt, approximating £35,000, subscribed for patriotic, purposes, will have to he allocated in the near future to some object of benefit to the soldiers. A meeting of the (•Hindi will be held shortly, at which

it is probable, suggestions may be put. forward as to the use these moneys , may be put. - j I it had been suggested that there j may be overlapping here and there in j I connection with the work of the repat- j riation boards and the war relief asso-j fictions. The matter was mentioned j yesterday to the local repatriation offi-■ r iMr. C. Bnf.UnO, who was not inclined to think that the activities would collide. “We do not give relief.” said Mr. Batten, “we seek to prevent the need of it.” He did not mean that the board wished in any wav to prevent relief being given where needed, bin the ni.ni of the board would be to help returned soldiers to help themselves, so that other relief would not be necessary.