£450,000 DISTRIBUTED

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 223, 9 December 1927, Page 1

£450,000 DISTRIBUTED

patriotic association reply to criticism In 12 years the sum of over £466,135 has been distributed by the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association. THIS tact was reported to the quarterly meeting of the executive committee yesterday, and the chairman, Mr. V. J. Larner, took the opportunity to reply to letters appearing in the newspapers. The claims board report, he said, showed that assistance had been granted to 751 applicants, involving an expenditure of over £2,000 in the last quarter. This showed that the claims board was functioning. “True, about 239 applicants were refused assistance,” he continued. • Some on account of the liberal help already rendered; others because in ott r opinion they had no legitimate claim. This demonstrates that the claims board is using as wise a discrimination to-day as it did when it was first called into being.”

not for civil distress "Now, I again emphasise the fact that the fund is primarily for the assistance of war-disabled men, and not to alleviate ordinary civil distress. If an applicant is refused assistance he is generally informed of the reason why, but there is a type of man who either cannot, or will not, understand the constitution under which this fund is administered. From him it seems to me that this adverse criticism emanates.” “In my experience as treasurer, the claims board has always erred on the side of generosity,” said Mr. A. S. Bankart. The claims board reported that it had authorised 161 weeks’ work to returned soldiers with the City Council, the arrangement being that the association would defray half the expenses. This was in addition to the grant of £2,107 6s 2d for assistance. The finance committee reported that the total funds of the association on November 30 were £133,852 5s lid, expenditure having amounted to £5,770 12s 9d since August. The Permanently Disabled Soldiers’ Board reported that 520 men had been voted assistance amounting to £105,310 since the inception of the scheme. The National War Funds Council wrote forwarding two cheques for £250 each for assisting returned soldiers.