THE WAR FUNDS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10290, 27 May 1919, Page 6

THE WAR FUNDS

SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME

DIFFICULT POSITION OF BELIEF ASSOCIATION.

With reference to the statement made in the press to the effect that the executive of the Wellington War Belief Association had declined, to make a contribution of .£3OOO to the Trentham Scholarship Fund, a reporter interviewed Mr L. O. H. Tripp, the chairman of the association, on the subject. Mr Tripp stated that the matter was considered at a special meeting of the executive and after considerable discussion it was decided to postpone the Question of giving money to tne scholarship fund lor the present. Mr Tripp also said: — “•Every member of the executive spoke very strongly in favour of the scholarship scheme, which is for the higher education of the children of those who* have fallen in the war. Personally, 1 am a strong supporter ot the seneme ana I hope that the public will support it, and it is unnecessary for me to point out the advantages to the country of being able to give to the clever children of those Vho have fallen in the war the benefit of university or other advanced training.

“But though we heartily approve of the scheme it does not follow that to-dav we are justified in voting war relief moneys to that purpose. Uis perfectly true that we have some .£"0,000 of capital intact, but wo are now having very largo claims on our funds. Dur'ing the last tow years, we who have been administering war relief funds have realised that ’Wellington, owing to it being the capital and centre, and also ft seaport, would have more claims on its funds for assistance than any other association. Wo also realised that our funds are not large and that there will be claims on our. funds not, only during the war, but for several years after peace has been declared. The consequence was that during the last three years we have pursued a policy of extreme caution, and in many cases have not been as liberal in buy allowances as wo should have liked, and Indeed as some of the cases of extreme hardship, which came before ns, deserved. In suite of onr care we have spent about £30,000 of our capital in three years. “During the last few months the number of the claims made on onr funds have increased enormously. During the first nineoen days of April we had 330 claims and ono day last week ihe committee had to deal with <ls claims. We now know what the Government is going to do with reference to repatriation and our -oldiers are returning very quickly to the Dominion, so that I think we will he abl» to deal more generously with some of the deserving cases which come baflora us. Seeing the number of genuine claims that are now being made for assistance, and that we ought to deal more liberally with many of the cases, I personally think that to-day we are not justified in voting from our muds a sum of £3OOO for higher education of our 'children. Ib.may be, and I hope it will be. that’in a year's time the committee will be-in a better position to judge of the sufficiency of its funds-, to meet all genuine prospective claims. "To-dny we are helping many of the dependents of soldiers, who, in spite of liberal assistance ;from the Governmanlt, are shill suffering through ino. fault of their own. great hardship through’ the war. In other cases, and there are many of them, wo have been helping the dependents of Imperial soldiers and soldiers of our Allies, because the allowances which their respective Governments pay them are not sufficient to pay tile living expenses in New Zealand.

"In many cases we find a wife separated from her husband, who pays little or nothing to her support. The son has been killed, and if he had been hero ho eoulrl have helped his mother. Tho State only pays a small pension because it argues the husband must ho made to pay. Theoretically this is right; practically it does not work, because the husband, in many cases, does not pay but goes to jail. The wife is suffering through the war, therefore we must help. Wo have helped many Australians who have come here after discharge for their health and have been more, or less stranded. We cannot recover this from Australia because there is no reciprocity, whereas if a New Zealander. who enlisted in the district and goes to Australia for his health gets stranded, the Australia Day Fund helps him and claims on us and we pay. We have asked the Government to communicate with the Government of the Commonwealth and try and arrange some reciprocity between the two countries.

"A Wellington boy aged 17 tried to enlist with the forces, hut was turned down because of his age. His father is dead, and his mother has three other children (girls and young), and only one is old enough to work. The boy works his passage to England, joins the Navy, his age is discovered and ho is discharged. He then joins his father’s ‘old regiment, his age is found out, and he is again discharged. He then joins the Canadian Machine Gun Section, goes to the front and does splendid work, and is killed at his gun. ( The mother is taken ill and can do little work, and applies to us- We, of course, helped her and wrote to Canada about her pension, and we find that Canada, unlike Now Zealand will grant no pension in such a case. We are not going to see this woman stranded through the loss of her patriotic plucky son, and therefore aro for the time being helping her and her family, and wc will have to do so until the children gto old enough to work and support tho mother. “There aro many cases, I am sorry to say. of hardship caused hy the war, coming under our notice, which no Government could forseo and provide for, and -these will properly fall 5n our fluids. Then wc have our own sick, wounded; and necessitous soldiers. Wo must never forget what onr duty is to tho maimed and those permanently and partially disabled through the war. In the future wo will, I hope, ho able to help these more than we have done in tho past, to make their effort to do soma suitable work, so that they can earn something in addition to their pension, and feel that their lives are full of hope and usefulness. “I hope I have made it clear why, though we have X70.0C-0 of capital today, I do not think wo would be justified in voting ,£3OOO to the higher education of tho children, although individually wo heartily support tho scheme.”