8.—9

shall be paid to the Public Trustee, who shall deal with all such moneys and the income thereof in accordance with the regulations and orders of the Arbitration Court. Accordingly, compensation payable to minors is invested by the Public Trustee and disbursed on their behalf. Under section 38 of the Act all compensation-moneys due in respect of the death of a worker, unless the Arbitration Court directs otherwise, are required to be paid to the Public Trustee. An application for an apportionment order may be made by any dependant or by the Public Trustee. The Legislature has cast a duty on the Public Trustee to hold compensation-moneys for the persons entitled, pending an order of the Arbitration Court apportioning them amongst the dependants. This branch of the work has assumed large dimensions and is very important. Special care is paid to it to ensure that the interests of the dependants are protected, and that payments to them are promptly made. In this connection, as soon as the compensation-moneys have been received in accordance with the provisions of section 38, and where the Public Trustee has been requested by the dependants to apply to the Arbitration Court for an apportionment order, the Office makes reasonable payments to the dependants by way of maintenance as from the date of the receipt of the compensation-moneys. The object of this is to remedy any hardship which would fall on the dependants by their having to wait for maintenance until such time as an order could be granted, which may take some little time owing to the necessity in some cases of making inquiries or obtaining fuller information. Discretion as to the amount to be allowed in these cases is exercised, and where necessary the allowance is readjusted when the apportionment has been made. RELIEF FUNDS. 65. From time to time the Office is called upon to administer funds raised for the relief of distress caused by disasters of various kinds. It has under its control many well-known funds, the chief of which are the following : —• Balance at Credit Name of Fund. at 31st March, 1924. £ Brunner Disaster Fund .. .. .. .. 2,880 Kaitangata Relief Fund . . . . . . . . 3,650 Huntly Disaster Fund . . . . . . . . 805 It is not only in connection with these public funds that the Office is called upon to act. In cases of families and individuals who are in distress through bereavement or some other cause benefit funds are frequently raised, and a considerable number of these are placed in the hands of the Public Trustee, Section 4 of the Public Trust Office Amendment Act, 1912, provides simple machinery whereby funds raised by public subscription can be readily vested in the Public Trustee, and at the same time the wishes of the subscribers fully respected and the terms of the trust clearly defined. Under this section representatives of the subscribers are enabled to arrange with the Public Trustee a scheme of trust to be submitted to the Supreme Court for approval or modification. In cases where it is necessary advisory trustees can be associated with the Public Trustee in the administration of such funds. Seeing that these funds are for charitable purposes, it is the practice of the Public Trustee to make no charge for his services in connection with their administration. In addition to these funds which have been raised by public subscription, the Public Trustee administers a general fund known as the Coal-miners' Relief Fund, which has been established in accordance with sections 80 and 81 of the Coal-mines Act, 1908, and subsequent amendments thereto, to provide for the necessary relief of coal-miners who may be injured while working in coal-mines, or for the relief of the families of those miners who may be killed or injured whilst so working. The funds are derived from a levy payable by mine-owners on all coal mined. On the 31st March, 1924, there was £13,382 to the credit of this fund.

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