"A HARD YEAR”

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 74, 18 June 1927, Page 13

"A HARD YEAR”

PATRIOTIC FINANCE MUCH DISTRESS “The year has been a hard one for many returned men, lack of employment being specially felt by the men for whom the Patriotic Fund was established. As a consequence the appeals for assistance have been very numerous, making greater inroads on the fund than have been experienced in previous years,” states the annua! report of the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association, which held its annual meeting. The report continued: “The year opened with a credit balance of £152,920 17s 4d: interest on investments amounting to £6,847 Is, and donations £BS Is 9d. were received, making a total of £159,853 0s Id. Disbursements on all accounts were £17,650 16s 9d, of which the principal items are as follows:—Auckland Claims Board, £8,230 15s lid: provincial branches (14), £1,039 9s lid: Permanently Disabled Soldiers' Board, £4,065 2s sd; local relief, “B” fund, £1,054 9s; Veterans’ Home, £769 2s lid.

“The balance in hand at the end of the period is £142,202 3s 4d, of which amount £133,409 16s lOd is at the credit of the “A” Fund, and £8,792 6s 6d at the credit of the “B” Fund.” The Claims Board, dealing with applications for assistance from sick or wounded soldiers, had held 79 sittings and considered 2,672 cases. If the “B” Fund which was established “for relief of distress in the City of Auckland, arising from the war, and in such manner as the association may from time to time determine,” £1,054 9s had been disbursed, compared with £B4 10s last year. The Returned Soldiers’ Club and the Veterans’ Home had received £IBO 8s 4d and £769 2s lid. The balance to the credit of the fund was £8,792 6s 6d. The Permanently Disabled Soldiers’ Board had since 1919 voted 507 men assistance, amounting to £102,960 3s 9d and £99,008 Is 8d had been paid. There were at present 26 men in the Evelyn Firth Home and 13 in the T.B. shelters. Fourteen branches in the province were in operation. The secretary, Mr. T. B. Kay, reported that during the past quarter 855 applications for assistance had been received, 605 being granted, and £2,480 F>s 7d paid out. The number was an increase of 316 over the June quarter of last year. The Finance Committee reported that since February 28, the expenditure had been £3,980 12s 9d and £799 8s lOd had been received, leaving a balance in hand of £139,973 4s 7d.