Y.M.C.A. FUNDS.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 August 1919, Page 5

Y.M.C.A. FUNDS.

QUESTION OF THEIR DISPOSAL. THE RS.A. CHARGES. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Returned SoldieA' Association committee set tip to inquire into the administration of the Y.M.C.A. war f%nds has forwarded its report to Sir James Allen. It states: The Y.M.C.A. appeal was for comforts for the men in the trenches. The Red Triangle. Day, 1018, realised something like £150,000, regarding which it is alleged that no statement is available. According to the balance-sheets issued the Y.M.C.A. collected about £400,000, whereof £31,290, or less than 8 per cent., reached the men overseas in the form of trench comforts. The Y.M.C.A. statement is. quoted as showing that'£Blsß was remitted to Egypt in the two years ended September, 1918, and it is declared that no statement has been stiliraitted as to the disposal thereof, leaving it to he supposed that the money wajl pooled in the general fund with the American and Flritisli Y.M.C.A.'s. The salaries and administrative expenses ' amounted to £38,004, while the value of the comforts distributed to the men in the trenches was £31,25)0. Further complaint is made that no return was submitted of the revenue from the soldiers' hostel in Wellington" or the Shakespeare Hut in England, or from the tearoom on Lamhton Quay, Wellington. Further, the buildings, furniture and equipment represent £17,678 in the expenses, bnt nothing appears in the statement, of assets. A further gum of £57,328 for buildings, tents, and equipment is similarly treated. It is pointed out that in the British Y.M.C.A. statement a parallel amount of £70,000 disappeared in like manner, Complaint is also made regarding the redemption of the coupons. The Soldiers' fVssnoinrion comments that the moneys collected by the Y.M.C.A. were for free distribution to soldiers, and never ini™dorl for trading, also that the Y.M.C.A. still pays out of the war funds the salary and expenses of officers meeting returning drafts, as well as the maintenance of Y.M.C.A. huts at ftoforoa, Walpuktiiati, Inrercargill, Haumer, .■ and Somes Island. All these, places, it is contended, are staffed and maintained on moneys collected for comforts funds. THE Y.M.C.A. IN REPLY. The Y.M.C.A. national executive issues a lengthy reply, summarising the operations during the war. These expanded through the exigencies of the war in an ever increasing degree and in directions not originally contemplated, including work in New Zealand military camps, hospitals, and soldiers' huts, work on troopships to and from IJgw Zealand, vrork in Egypt and Palestine, including soldiers' recreation club at Esbckia Cardens, Cairo, work in England -at all military camps and hospitals, and in London, whence nil operations in England and Franco were controlled, work in France from the base to ,the firing line, and w-or!,- nt Colon, Panama Canal. The Y.M.C.A. national executive comment j on ihe fact that the R.S.A., whose avowed object was to secure satisfactory explanations of the matters raised in the questions, approached the Minister with a request for a Royal Commission", and then, being unsuccessful, gave its statement to the press without notice" of any kind to the Y.M.C.A. The reply continues that the basis of the appeal for funds was always goncral, not for any special branch of war work. The Red Triangle Day appeal realised £210,000. ,It was not true that the primary basis of appeal on that occasion was for comforts for the men in the trenches, though stress was naturally kid on this phase of the. work; The full balance-sheet of the Y.M.C.A. up to March 31, 1910, has been completed and audited, and is now in the committee's hands. The balance-sheet of the operations in England and Franco to the tame date will be issued shortly. A full balance-sheet covering the work in England and Franco to November ,10, 1018, has already been published. The free services to the men at the front Accounted for £118.780. or*72 per cent, of the monevs sent overseas for the Y.M.C.A. work. The administrative exMenses tme actually very lor. The total income for the Y.M.C.A, war work in New Zealand nnd overseas was £301,. 451, whereof £103,800 was remitted to London, as well as sums to E<rypt. A large sum was still earning interest in KTcw Zealand. The policy was to conserve this for work during the winter of 1918-19, money being remitted as required. The R.S.A. committee had ovc , -stntf#| Y.M.C.A. war work administrative expenses by over . £ 2K.000, probablv through lock of knowledge of what the Y.M.C.A. had done in the firing line in the last two years. The mono? sent to F»vnt was exnended in connection with the British Y.M.C.A., the Now Zealand troops to receive all attention necessary, Only one New Zealand Y.M.C.A. man was there, nnd it was obviously impossible for him to create a special organisation. The New Zealand soldiers wove earners by this arrangement, which continued thronehoitt the war. The Wellington soldiers' hostel accounts had been audited, and shortlv would be published. The ShalcespeaTe Hut was run by the Jlritish organisation, the New Zealand Y.M-CA. pavin<r £SOOO, which was"about one-third of tl.p cost. The question of inclusion of nlant in the assets had been decided bv the auditors, and the Y.M.C.A. was not concerned with what other associations did. Regarding the tracing nroflts from canteens, these reverted to th° men in the shape n? free comforts. In conclusion, the Y.M.C.A. states that members of the committee at. their own expense spent considerable time overseas to satisfy themselves that the money was being snent in accordance with the wishes of the donors. The Y.M.C.A. Ims done its best at home and at the front, and is content to leave its ease to the judgment of contributors.