HELPING EX-SERVICEMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 999, 16 June 1930, Page 14

HELPING EX-SERVICEMEN

PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION’S WORK ANNUAL REPORT Valuable, work in the interests of returned soldiers was performed during the past year by the Auckland Provincial Patriotic War Relief Association, according to the report of the executive to be submitted to the annual meeting next Thursday. The association had a credit balance of £ 121,699 at the beginning of the year, and during the 12 months £6,418 in interest on invesements, and £SI in donations, was received, besides £9OO from the National War Funds Council for the relief of unemployed soldiers. This made a total of £129,099 to be accounted for. The total disbursements were £27,225, leaving a balance in hand at the end of the period of £101,873, of which £101,806 was at the credit of the “A” fund (provincial sick and wounded soldiers’ fund) and £67 at the credit of the unemployment fund. The Claims Board had a busy year, and considered 3,832 applications, excluding those considered by the various branches. The executive regretted having to report that the prevailing economic conditions had made it very difficult, if not impossible, for many returned men, especially disabled men, to secure employment. Cases of men suffering from recurring war disability had been fairly numerous, and many applications for assistance had been received from men who had not previously applied, but who claimed they were suffering from the after-effects of war service. GRANTS FROM “B” FUND Grants from the “B” fund to soldiers amounted to £487. The Auckland City Mission had presented £ 100 on account of accommodation supplied to necessitous soldiers, and a grant of £ 100 was made by the Mayoress's War Memorial Library Committee. The sum of £228 was transferred to the Veterans’ Home account, this being the loss on the working account of the home for the previous year. The fund, which was now exhausted, liad been of real assistance to ex-service-men, whose applications did not come within the scope of the “A” fund. DISABLED SOLDIERS Since the inception of the permanently disabled . soldiers’ scheme, 537 soldiers had been granted a total of £104,424, mainly to enable the recipients to secure homes, and, in a few cases, to enable soldiers to enter business. The board’s work was steadily diminishing, but there were still a fair number of men who had not applied for assistance, who might do so later. VETERANS’ HOME Inmates of the Veterans’ Home numbered 24, and the veterans were in fairly good health. Renovations to the institution this year would involve an expenditure of several hundreds of pounds. In order to put the finances of the home on a more satisfactory basis, it had been decided to transfer £15,000 to the homo account, and this was accomplished by transferring £15,000 of City of Auckland debentures, maturing in January, 1937, from the “A” fund. Since the association accepted the control of the home, the donations and legacies had been placed to the capital account, while the losses on the working account had been met by grants from the “B” fund. It was hoped that, with the income from the interest on the transfer, the home would in future be self-supporting. The executive recorded its appreciation of the good services rendered by the superintendent, Major Wallingford, and his wife and staff.

Retiring members of the executive, who were eligible for re-election, were Lady Gunson, Messrs. V. J. Larner, N. A. Nathan, E. F. Andrews, E. Phelan, C. Rhodes and A. J. Entrican.