WAR FUNDS.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 August 1916, Page 6

WAR FUNDS.

OVER £2,000,000 CONTRIBUTED. A return tabled by the Minister of Internal Afiairs in the House shows that up to Dec-ember 31, 1915, a total of £1,580,215) hail been collected by patriotic societies of Xew Zealand for various purposes. Of this sum £12,437 luul at the end of the year been spent in relief, £04,433 in equipment and goods ■'purchased for the forces, £473,484 remitted overseas direct or forwarded to the interna! Affairs Department for remission overseas and other special purposes, and £25,215 in general expenses, leaving £981,07S in hand. The percentage of expenses to collections was 1.05. Of the total sum of : JE1,550,24D tiie provinces had contributed as follows:

■ f-v Auckland Province 511.505 > Hawke's Eay 00,329 Taranaki .' 38,425 Wellington 313,774 Marlborough ' 20,082 Xelson 29.G-1S Westland 13,SS(> Canterbury 270,172 Ota so 213,035 Southland 39.753 In addition to the am.rjnt collected by atilotic societies large sums have been ■ent to the Government'from private '.onors, the actual cash collections to he end of 19)5 totalling £1,954,325.

The rf-port points -;it that since the foregoing figures were made up there nave been many sp""iai appeals by way of carnivals, ari ir< ins and other functions, to which people have responded with undiminished 'liberality. From injormation obteii'.cl inspecting various activities it niav be safely estimated that the patriotic c-ont: tuitions of the people of New Zea'.-.nd. in cash and goods have now amour. :ed to over twe millions of pounds.

To funds amounting to £C3I.fIOO remaining in hand at December 31 there -hould be added between .C.iOXCO and £ CO,OOO in tran-it, giving a total of over one million available for relief and general purposes at that date. If to this amount i- added the amount contributed since December it may be fairh assumed that the unexpended funds al the present date are upjuoximi'.l.cli £J ; 2soeat'.