NATIONAL WAR FUNDS COUNCIL

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 1, 4 December 1915, Page 4

NATIONAL WAR FUNDS COUNCIL

There is to hand from the Minister of Internal Affairs and Chairman of the National War Funds Council a letter showing the main provisions of the War Funds Act, 1915. The Minister emphatically lays down that there is no compulsion under the Act and that the Government has no desire to in any way exercise control over Patriotic Funds, excepting those which are transferred under the Act to the War Funds Council. It is provided by Section 4 that the Council shall, at the request in writing of pot less than three-fifths of the trustees of any war fund, undertake the control and administering of that fund. But where any such fund is transferred to the Council, the trustees who transferred the fund shall make recommendations for the administration of that fund and such recommendations shall be considered by the Council. Thus the original trustees are able to see that their fund shall be administered as far as practicable in the manner th,ey wish. Another point is that power is given under the Act to set up Local Advisory Committees tfi assist the Council jn of the funds which have been traps-

ferretl to the Council. For instance, if *tlije .Stratford 'domuiitteo decided to .‘ transfer ’.their .funds to the Oovl|icij, 1 tVio Cpmniiitee would be' entitled, to a Local ' Advisory Committee N o make recommendations to the, Count'd as to the disposal of the, funds. Flip Local Advisory would undertake h

responsibility in the administration of the transferred fund. ' The duty of the Patriotic, Committee' then would be to make sympathetic inquiries into cases which come under their .province or notice with regard to pensions, medical attendance in case of sick soldiers, provision of trips to health resorts, establishment ol the . men iii t businesses or rinding employ■ment for them, and in general to help the returned solders in the manner which their great services demand.' The Focal Advisory Committees, fffiy in Farnnaki,. would appoint an Factitive to meet in a suitable place to dhal fwitli and forward recommendations made by the Local Advisory Commit-, tees. When the'recommendations were considered by the Council and funds drawn on, the Council'would'send the amount to the Executive, which would in turn forward tlio amounts required to the Local Committees. The advantages of the National scheme mainly are (l) The whole of the funds would he invested in whatever way the Council might determine, so as to become immediately revenue-produc-. ing, and consequently there would be no wastage of interest through leaving large sums uninvested. Strict business lines would be required such an important matter. Overlap-, ping would he prevented. Each dis- 1 trict would retain absolute control of, its own expenditure, the. Council niero-j ly laying down the general lines so as. to secure, as far as possible, uniformity. Where there are districts which, J on account of financial weakness are unable to raise sufficient funds, the needs of the soldiers within such dis-' tricts will be recognised by a general fund, so that no man will he lackiftgj the attention the country owes. |