WAR RELIEF ASSOCIATION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 4, 3 August 1916, Page 7

WAR RELIEF ASSOCIATION.

FO!*TN!CHTLY MEETING. ! ' A wetting of the Taranaki Provin 1 eial War Relief Association .vas held yesterday morning when there wr-re .present: Messrs \V. I'. Kirkwood J (chairman), VV. E. Porcival (Inglowood), E. Beckbessenger (Waitara), J. 'McPhillips (Manaia), R. Dunn (Farmers' Union), J. Fleming (Patea), P. i Mills (Hawera) and ,J. McMillan (lion. I secretary). I An apology was received for the absence of the chairman (Mr Wilson"», who is attending a hoar! meeting at Wellington, and Mr Crump (Eltham). ! Mi 1 -I. 15'. Wilson wrote resigned his pasitiin ■as Taranaki member of the Advisory Board owing to pressure of I business. Mr Dunn moved, and Mr McPhillips ! seconded: That Mr W. I\ Kirkwood i)c; elected metnher of the Board in place of Mr Wilson. | Mr Kirkwood said he would accept I the position providing it was underj stood that if he was unable to attend I every meeting some other delegate j would undertake to attend. The delegates agreed to Mr Kirkwood's suggestion. i Mr Kirkwood was unanimously clc'tcd to the position. I it was decided to write to the MinI: t-' of Defence asking him to define II he positions of soldiers who enlisted; ;:s single men and got married dur-l ing final leave, and whether the Department, recognised thrtn as single! or married as regains pensions and i allowances. ! Messrs' Tweedie Bros., Awn kino, | wrote stating that a returned soldier., who was' in their employ for three weeks, was not papablo of hard work. (They suggested that the man should he given six months' furlough and! receive a-pension for that time. They! were willing to contribute 10s per, week towards the man's expenses. The matter of granting the man a pension was referred to Messrs Wilson and Doekbessenger to report it. next meeting, in the meantime the man to be supplied with further relief. A motion was passed thanking .Messrs. Tweedie Bros, for their donation. : An amount of £3OO for a period of three years, was lent as a loan to a, return soldier to complete the purchase of a'farm. . The ' following progress statement (July 26) was received form the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department: (1) Total number of men on register, (a) disposed of 3435, (.1)) under action 1022, (e) not ready for action 772, total 5223; (2) reports received from interviewing officers 3804, reports in hands of interviewing officers 187, reports issued 3991; (3) Particulars showing how cases dealt nth:— (A) Cases disposed of: (a) left Aew Zealand or cannot ascertain address 1,24, ,(j>) re-enliSjted.iOi; ,rejtyrnod . :o military duty, a oj;., have. ; w,prk ,to realm to, ctci 1360, (c'j men who have igned "assistance" not required" 875, t'd) men placed in employment 787, (o) men who have not responded to repeated communications, and men who have accepted work the Department found for them but failed to at art work 183, (f) men who have drawn sections of land 106, total 3435;. (B) cases as under:—(a) reports upon cases' : not yet' returned by officers making' enquiries 187, (h) awaiting further advice (chiefly men who have stated that they are not yet desirous of work) 505, (c) at present on Employment Wanted Register 330, total 1022; (C) cases not ready for action, men recently returned to New Zealand, now convalescing, not ready for employment, and not yet discharged by the Military An-' thorities, 772, grand total 5229. Mr Mills read letters from .Messrs R. H. Nolan and B. McCarthy, now in England, asking for momentary assistance towards the War Contingenter Association. Hospitals and hostels have been opened in England for Xew Zealand soldiers and assistance was necessary.

The delegates, while expressing sympathy with the objects and work of the War Association, pointed out that the primary object of the Association was to assist wounded and returned soldiers, and seeing that the Taranaki Association was contributing £l5O per month for comforts, the Committee could not grant further assistance in the direction wanted. It was decided to advise Messrs Nolan and McCarthy accordingly. A list of properties which the Association considered suitable for subdivision for returned soldiers, was authorised to lie forwarded to the Prime Minister for consideration.: .Most of the land, it was stated by delegates, was not used for dairying but was only used for grazing purposes.; It was also decided to urge upon the! Government the necessity for purchasing the land if the scheme of put-, ting returned soldiers on small hold-1 injj;s was to lie made a success. The following resolution was passed on the motion of Mr Fleming, seconded by Mr MePhillips: Tins Association> ilearns with regret of the decision of I the Government requring vendors of land for the purpose of settling discharged soldiers to accept payment therefore in debentures, for the reason that such action is calculated to leave a detrimental effect on the proposal, and strongly recommends that the manor be re-opened with a view to it being optional for the vendor to accept payment in rebentures or in cash or its equivalent. The secretary reported that the following amounts were held by Committee's for the Wounded Soldiers' • fund: : , Inglewood—Cash in hand £152 ss, amount paid to Association nil, total ;C!52 ss. 1 Manaia—£l3oo invested, £544 10s 3d in hand and in Post Office Saving Bank, paid to Association nil. total £lß4l 10s 3d. Hawera—£2oo invested, £7301 14s

2d in Post Office, paid to Association nil. total £7504 lis 2d. New Plymouth—£2ooo invested, £1494 Ms 3d in hand and Post Office, paid to Association £I3OO, total £1791 lis 3d; Herald Fund £22(54 invested (no particulars), £'l7s in hand. total £2439. Patea —MOOO invested, £39 lis Id in hand, paid to Association £6OO. total £3639 lis Id. Eitham—£3ooo invested. £SO in hand, £069" 3s lOd paid to Association, total £37IT) 3s lOd. Egniont— C 1332 in hand and Post Office, paid to Association nil, total £1332. North Taranaki—£lsoo in hand, £2OOO paid to Association, total £3500. .Stratford-Total £7198 0s 3d. Grand total: £36,423 18s !(ki. Hawera has also £215 worth of post dated cheques in hand. After the accounts had been passed for payment the meeting adjourned.