MONEY FOR SOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 July 1921, Page 2

MONEY FOR SOLDIERS.

EXTRAORDINARY POSITION. AN INTERESTING STATEMENT. According to a statement made to a Wellington Times representative by a gentleman who is thoroughly acquainted with war fund matters, a rather interesting position exists in New Zealand. “Administering the funds in New Zealand,” he said, “there are 37 societies scattered throughout the country. These societies are run at an average cost of £lOOO each per year, so that it costs £37,000 to administei funds totalling something over a million of money. It is an extraordinary position,” be said, “and dne that can be looked into with a good deal of interest. For one thing, we only have to go on keeping the 37 societies going for ten years, and ht the present cost of administering them there has disappeared £370,000 that ought to go to the soldiers. I don’t say administrative charges can be done without, but I point out that that is a very large sum, and that it might be considerably reduced. “VVhat is the remedy?” was asked. “That is difficult to say. Each place will want to keep its own society, but each society has its secretary, and he has an office staff, and an office has to be rented for them, and then there is the cost of stationery and other things essential to the running of the office. “However, take an example. One half of the North Island is -run 'by one society. The Auckland society is the only body of its kind in the whole of the northern half of this Island. Then from somewhere about Raetihi or Taumarunui down to Wellington there are societies cropping up all the way along the line. The same applies on the Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki lines. It is very doubtful if any of the places in the lower end of this island or any of those in the South Island would care to do away with their societies and go in with a bigger organisation, and I don’t suppose they could be forced to do so.” Asked if the whole of New Zealand could be run adequately by a smaller number of societies, the reply was, “Yea, less than ten could administer

the funds cheaply—in fact, the number could be reduced to four or Auckland already administers the af« fairs of a district which is in are< roughly one-quarter of New Zealand.” He indicated that in mentioning th« matter he was only influenced by a desire to see the administration costs tsb dueed, if practicable.