Stagnant £54,500

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 577, 1 February 1929, Page 1

Stagnant £54,500

WAR FUNDS ARE HELD UP “An Inconceivable Dispute” (Special to THE SUN) WELLINGTON, To-day. IT seems to me inconceivable that a body of reasonable * 1 men in a Dominion noted for its loyalty, its strong sense of dut\ , its public spirit, and the common sense of its lead- * ing citizens should be unable to settle a matter of such urgency. \\ ill not you and the public insist that a reasonable way of spending the balance of the joint fund available on post-war activities be devised?”

Thus £ir John llewett appealed to the people ofl New Zealand in an address at the New Zealand Club, Wellington, yesterday. The leader of the visiting: delegation, representing the Order of St. John, referred to Hhe balance of the wellknown war funds of the Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John. He deplored the existence in the Dominion of a dispute as to the right to dispose of New Zealand’s share, which is lying idle. AFTER THE WAR After tracing the history of the agreement made in October', 1914, between the two organisations in the Homeland, Sir John said that the amount unexpended at the end of the war was £1,826,080, of which New Zealand had supplied large amounts. ‘’The Red Cross and St. John Act’* of 1918 enabled the joint committee to apply the residue of its property. “This Act authorised funds collected for expenditure during the war to be expended on any deserving object, particularly on the relief of disabled exservice men and their families,” he continued. “The committee determined to assign £500,000 for this purpose for use overseas, being led to make this grant because very large help had been given by the Dominions, India and the colonies. The sum assigned to New Zealand was £30,000 plus the balance of the New Zealand Our Day collection, amounting to £ 24,500. SHARE TO NEW ZEALAND "This sum was sent to the GovernorGeneral, Lord Liverpool, and by him entrusted to an incorporated society called The New Zealand Branch of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John. I understand that the representatives of this body contend that it belongs to the Britsih Red Cross Society and that the Order of St. John has no interest in it. . “This contention seems to be ill founded. “When the war was over Parliament gave to the order and the society in combination the right to expend the balance of the joint fund on other than war work. The money sent to Lord Liverpool for distribution was part of this. “The question as to how the grants for the purpose of alleviating suffering should be administered was very carefully considered. Eventually, on September 4, 1919, an agreement was made, establishing a joint council of the order and the society, to function not only in Great Britain, but wherever the British Red Cross and the Order of St. John are working. DISPOSAL IN BRITAIN “The objects of the joint council were declared to be to control and direct the work and objects of the order and the

society; to control the expendtiure of funds received from the Joint War Committee; and to promote, as far as practicable, with the means in its power, the improvement of health, the prevention of disease, and the mitigation of suffering throughout the world, whether in peace or war. Either party can withdraw from the agreement on giving six months’ notice, but in doing so will forfeit all interest in the moneys. “It is hardly necessary to say that neither party has ever contemplated such a step. In a number of the counties of England’ there are councils which do much good. The relations between the members of the joint council have, throughout, been most harmonious and friendly. WORK CARRIED OUT “Its report dealing with the period from April 1 to Decmber 31, 1927, shows expenditure during the nine months of £41,201. “In that time 308 officers- received medical as«istance. Another work of great interest and importance' is the provision of grants for bedside occupational work designed to teach exservice pensioner patients. In 13,000 cases, ex-service pensioner patients in hospitals were given motor rides, or conveyed to entertainments and theatres. Oyer 30,000 new cases were dealt with in 1927, under the emergency help scheme. The total came to over £BOO,OOO. “One of the most satisfactory features of it is the large amount of over £98,000 of advances which have been refunded since the scheme came into operation. “The Home Service Ambulance Committee of the Council controls over 300 ambulances which, in 1927, carried 121,000 sick and injured. The hospital and medical services department of the council surveys the hospital work throughout the country. “SEEMS A PITY” “It seems a pity that in New Zealand there should be a dispute to the right to expend the balance of the *|oint Fuqd remitted for expenditure. Kpps&M “May I venture to urge that such a joint committee should be appointed. “It should be possible for such a committee to settle this long-standing controversy in an equitable manner. It should, it seems to me, be a condition that a representative of the Order of St. John at that conference should have no responsibilities for the performance of the work of the British Red Cross Society, and equally that the representatives of the British Red Cross Society should have no responsibilities as regards the work of the Order of St. John.”