WAR FUNDS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 8 April 1926, Page 9

WAR FUNDS.

QUESTION OF CONTROL. Opposition to the proposal to transfer district patriotic, funds to tli© National War Funds Council has heen expressed by the committee of the Canterbury Patriotic Fluid, and the oommittee also is not in. agreement with the suggestion to amalgamate societies in contiguous areas. The Department of Internal Affairs intends to convene a conference of patriotic societies with a view to discussing the future control of funds, and deciding on a common policy. ; In the circular letter to societies the' Under-Secretary, Mr J. Hislop, stated’ that the conference was- desirable; because there was. no uniformity of; policy, and in view of the fact that, certain societies would, in the not far distant future, exhaust their funds. It was held that the position should be reviewed in the light that the soldier was not the > responsibility of the district in which he was resident at the time of enlistment, but that he was the , responsibility of the Dominion ns a .whole. Thus when one district exhausted its funds other districts with ample funds should assist the men whose responsible societies could not fully!, function through lack of fund®. ..Veteran’s, homes would be needed and consideration should be given to the • question of setting aside money for this proposal. It was considered that by the amalgamation of societies in contiguous areas overhead expenditure could be reduced. Experience has shown that at would be a great advantage if societies could agree to the transfer of their funds to one centre suoh as the National War Funds Council, or, failing that, to say, not more than four or s’x of the mam centres in New Zealand and arrange for the relief of urgent cases through imprest accounts.

In reply to the suggestions the Canterbury [Patriotic Society has decided that it was in favour of .bringing about uniform acb’on in regard to the distribution of relief, provided that such policy was based on actual war dißabil. ity and was not concerned with repatriation or unemployment. . -The system obtaining in the centre ,at present was that where a man was suffering from war disability or cduld produce medical evidence attributing his condition to hie war service, he was-entitled to relief. The committee also had authority to continue the policy of granting assistance to persons not suffering from war disability in special, coses where the need did not arise solely from unemployment. Where advances were made to discharged soldiers for repatriation and similar purposes the committee did not agree to loans being gesneraflfy granted on a commercial basis, and treated as investments of the fund.

On the question of the responsibility of each district the committee’s attitude is stated as follows:—“While accepting as a principle that all soldiers are a Dominion responsibility, it is considered necessary, for individual record purposes, that each district must be responsible for the relief of the men who, at the time of enlistment, were domiciled within its boundaries. In the event of any district failing adequately to function, through lackof funds, then such district fund should be replenished or supplemented by the National War Funds Council. The National War Funds. Couno : I should accept responsibility for the adequate relief of all overseas units, which are not the responsibility of the district fund’s 1 specially donated , for local needs. The Canterbury Patriotic Fund cannot agree to the abolition of domicile .as the index of responsibility.’’ The committee considers that while veterans’ homes might be required in the future, the indications were that there would he ample funds remaining to provide such homes when required. It would be unwise or unfair for the patriotic funds possibly to stint or denv adequate assistance to the men of to-day in order to make provision for the uncertain requirement of the future.

The amalgamation of societies was opposed on, the grounds that people who were leing served by patriotic funds would probably In a short while be out of touch with patriotic societies if centralisation and bureau cratic methods were adopted. It was submitted that patriotic funds • should be disbursed sympathetically, and without the appearance of charity, a position which would not be maintained subsequent to amalgamation or centralisation.

In the opinion of the committee there could 1 be fio advantage to’ the beneficiaries of patriotic. funds in transferring the main district funds- to the War Funds Council or in amalgamating such areas ns Canterbury, Marlborough and the West Coast. . The committee suggests that the constitution of the National War Funds Council should he considered, with a view to enlarging the representation to enable representatives actively administering patriotic funds to have ft seat on the National War Funds Council.