ART UNION FUNDS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 611, 16 August 1933, Page 5

ART UNION FUNDS

(Press Assn.-

MINISTER EXPLAINS THE BASIS OF DIVISION NO CREATION OF ASSETS

— By Telegraph — Copyright.).

Auckland, Tuesday. The policy followed by the committee of the Cabinet in allocating art union proceeds was explained by the Hon. J. A. Young to a deputation to-day. The Minister said the list of applicants for participation in art union profits contained nearly 100 names, and he had classified A. and P. societies as semi-official bodies who were finding it 'difficult to pay their way. Where their overdrafts had been guaranteed the banks were now looking to the guarantors to meet the imterest and many of the guarantors were in a worse position than the associations themselves. He looked with favour on helping such organisations, but he had laid it down that no assistance should be given for building up reserves or creating new assets. A new phase had developed with demands for assistance from socia'l organisations. Such appli'cations had streamed in, and in winter such claims could not be ignored, so £30,000 had been devoted to relie-f from the last three art unions. The basis of such grants was the most recent return of unemployment registrations. S'ome applicants for shares in profits had no merit, including some forms of sport, where patrons drove up in £1000 cars. If such sports could not get funds from their adherents they were not the sort of organisations to be helped from art union proceeds at the present time.