WAR FUND COUNCIL

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10284, 20 May 1919, Page 5

WAR FUND COUNCIL

BURSARIES SCHEME STATEMENT BY THE HON. G. w. RUSSELL. A statement with regard to the National War Funds Council's bursaries scheme was made to a. "Times" representative yesterday by the Hon. G. W. Russell (chairman ot the council;. In March last, said the -Minister, the National War Funds Council decided to grant bursaries to those members of tne'Expeditionary Forces who, having matriculated, had by reason ot their overseas war service been compelled to relinquish their studies. The allotment ot tnese bursaries was governed uv the financial position of the applicants, and as the number of bursaries to be granted was limited by the funds at. the disposal of the council, the greatest care has been neceseiffy in selecting the most necessitous cases. 193 APPLICATIONS. . Up to. the present 193 application" hare been received, and 51 of the ap plicants have been granted bursaries, amounting to £'2200 per annum. The maximum amount granted in any case is £-30 per annum, but in many cases where applicants were living at home, or were earning an average income, smaller amounts were allotted, the average amount working out at £<w per head. Many of the applicants were in receipt of war pensions, but in no case has such pension been taken into consideration in arriving at the financial position. In regard to the 193 applications received to May loth, the position is as follows: Bursaries allotted, 51; applications declined; 56; applications deferred, 23; applications withdrawn, 6; application's under action, 57; total, 193. The 56 applications which have neen declined consist of: —(a) Those trom persons in employment and receiving a fair income; (b) those whose families are in a position to give them assistance without difficulty; (c) in a fewcases where professorial reports as to suitability were adverse. The 23' cases deferred comprise: (a) Applications made by friends or relations on behalf of soldiers not yet returned ; (b) cases where sufficient particulars have not, been supplied; some of these caseß''wiirno doubt be granted bursaries. A MISAPPREHENSION.' A considerable number of applications havo been niade by students under the impression that the bursaries' were granted by the Government on* of the Consolidated Fund, and that a statutory right for such assistance existed; and in this connection it should be clearly understood that moneys at the disposal, of the National War Funds" 'Council 'ire' in no sense Government funds, but are administered by the council in the same manner as any other patriotic fund raised by uublic subscription, and will be applied solely to help returned soldiers in need of other assistance than that already available. This fact has been acknowledged, and some of the applications were voluntarily withdrawn when the applicants realised that thefgfahtipg 1 j#f_ & 'bjirsary "to them would perhaps mean the refusal oF i grant to some applicant whose finances would not otherwise enable him to continue his studies. CASES UNDER ACTION.

The 57 cases under action comprise later applications, and these will be dealt with as speedily as circumstances permit. Most of them are in the hands of committees at tho educational 'centres, -to whom all applications are referred hefore they are finally dealt with by the selection committee of the council.

As ahove pointed out, tho amount at the disposal of the council is limited. At present about £20,000 is available for general purposes, including bursaries, and as some 30,000 soldiers are now returning, and have yet to he given an opportunity of availing themselves of this benefit, the greatest care has to be exercised in- selecting those cases most in need of assistance.

Very great assistance in dealing with the matter has been given by the Returned Soldiers' Associations, the Patriotic Committees, and the College Boards. The present scheme applies to matriculated students only.