PATRIOTIC WAR RELIEF.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 August 1916, Page 8

PATRIOTIC WAR RELIEF.

MEETING OF ADVISORY BOARD. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, August 2. At a meeting of the Advisory Board or the Patriotic War Relief Societies, the Hon. J. T. 'Paul presiding, the Public Trustee wrote stating that the Public Trust Office was unable to accept funds of societies lor investment a: present. •Mr. Hope Gibbons reported that lie had waited on the Minister for Lands in regard to giving assistance to returned soldiers to go upon the land. He ascertained that the Government was doing everything possible for men taking up land. It was a dangerous thing, he thought, to advance money for the purchase of cows. After discussion, the chairman and Messrs Tripp, Hope-Gili-bons, Williams and Dougall were appointed to deal with the matte:' of settling soldiers on the land, and advancing money to men going on the land. An appeal from file Salvation Army for funds in aid of new orphanages, in which. 'preference would be given to children of fallen soldiers, was postpon-

od pending receipt of further information.,. A remit from Wairarapa was discussed, amended and carried in the following form: "That as an additional .means of preventing exploitation of war relief funds, all officers of societies empowered to grant relief to returned soldiers endorse -on the back of a soldier's paybook the name of the society granting relief, and the date when given, and that no relief he granted without the production of the discharge." The matter of'the continuance of the patriotic societies' vote of £,'10,000 per month and its administration was dealt with in committee.

It was resolved that the Defence Department be asked to notify patriotic societies when a soldier was discharged from camp; that a widowed mother of a son who enlists, who is wholly or partly dependent upon him for support, should be entitled to an allowance; that the question of granting free technical education to children of soldiers be referred to the Minister for Education.