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19. The principal matters dealt with in the course of the administration of the fund were the following : — (a) The investigation and settlement of claims in respect of liabilities and expenditure for personal relief incurred during the emergency period following the earthquake. This covered expenditure for food, clothing, medical attention, accommodation in temporary camps, and many other items. The total expenditure under this heading amounted to £94,679. (b) The granting of financial assistance for the repair of earthquake damage to the private dwellings of residents in the earthquake area. Details of the number of houses repaired in the various districts and the expenditure involved are shown by the following table :— Number of Expenditure. Houses. £ Wairoa 441 6,793 Hawke's Bay County .. ..1,073 35,921 Napier 3,229 127,236 Hastings 2,683 47,826 Central Hawke's Bay .. .. 525 11,864 Maori dwellings .. .. 543 11,001 Total 8,494 £240,641 (c) The making of grants to cover personal losses. Assistance of this description was restricted to essential articles, such as furniture, effects, clothes, books, tools of trade, and the like. The amount granted in any one case was limited to £50. Assistance was provided not in cash, but by orders on the local business firms. The grants made to cover personal losses totalled £8,112. (d) The making of permanent provision for persons injured and the dependants of persons injured or killed. Nearly two hundred applications for assistance of this nature were received in response to the central committee's notification of its intention to make provision in necessitous cases of this description. It was found that the majority of those requiring assistance were widows, or children, or other dependants, and in such cases the central committee granted assistance by way of weekly allowances, which are subject to review in the event of a material change in the circumstances of the dependants. The sum required to provide these allowances has been set aside from the relief fund and is held by the Public Trustee. Interest is allowed at the rate current from time to time for trust funds. In certain cases it was considered that the most suitable form of relief would be to set aside sums to be applied for the maintenance and benefit of the persons concerned. These are being held by the Public Trustee and applied in such manner as is considered most suitable for those concerned. Any unexpended balances from these trusts are to revert to the relief fund. Where it appeared that such a course would be most beneficial for the applicants, the central committee agreed to make immediate cash grants. This method was adopted generally where only a small amount of assistance was considered necessary, or where it was thought that a payment in cash would enable the applicants to set up in business or otherwise re-establish themselves. These grants were paid immediately after authorization by the central committee. The total amount of £47,070 was set aside to provide the allowances, to set up the individual trusts, and to make the cash grants referred to.

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