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Show King's Fund Aid To W ar Victims Under Auspices of Ruler, Task of Providing Help Is Tackled. LONDON. A curious British institution, in-stitution, the King's fund 1940, is now advancing through its early formative stages .with cool disregard disre-gard for the obstacles that lie ahead. It provides cash benefits under certain conditions for members mem-bers of the fighting forces, auxiliary services, merchant seamen and civilian defense workers. It depends de-pends entirely on voluntary support, yet is administered by the government. govern-ment. The fund is heir to one established by King George V in the last war. "When the present conflict broke out, 'the earlier fund had distributed 1,500,000 in 75,000 grants. But where the first plan aided disabled soldiers, sailors and fliers and their 'Widows and orphans, the present undertaking un-dertaking embraces unknown millions mil-lions enrolled under scores of emblems em-blems and many who fight the war from their own doorsteps, says the New York Times. Right fur the Job. Sir Adair Hor'e nursed the original orig-inal fund into existence and is tending tend-ing this one. He is permanent secretary sec-retary of the ministry of pensions and for more than 30 years has been identified with public health and social welfare endeavors. His fears at this time are not over the soundness sound-ness of the King's fund 1940, for this unique agency is just the thing for the job, he feels. He is genuinely genuine-ly concerned over the prospect that 'money may be tight after the war. Sources of income may well vanish in the welter of taxes. Then, perhaps per-haps even more important, there is the likelihood of a staggering case load. Faced with these questions, Sir Adair sits in his Westminster office and ponders. Only about 150 grants 1 have been made under the new fund, the expenditure amounting to 750, yet cases are coming in at the rate of 40 a week and the war, to him, has not really begun. Contributions to date are around 15,000. No appeal has been made, because be-cause it is thought the public is overburdened with demands for money, and the fund is allowed to expand almost automatically. Help in Various Ways. Essentially the fund gives "occasional "occa-sional help in directions quite outside out-side the scope of the state scheme Lof compensation." Disabled officers and men may receive grants for j clothing, especially if it will help them obtain employment; traveling expenses and equipment such as ! tools toward the same end; moving ; costs for home and family should the job demand it Wives, widows and adult depend-ents depend-ents may get grants for clothing, I moving expenses, special nourish- : ment after illness and help in their - search for jobs. I Children and young people can be i recipients of educational grants, i teacher-training courses, university, professional or commercial courses. Special provision has been made in the past for crippled youngsters and orphans. The emphasis is always placed on employment. The King's fund is not regarded as a charity, a worthwhile distinction distinc-tion in many instances and one made because it bears the king's name. Inconsistent as it may sound, the fund is independent and in no way part of the official machinery of the ministry or subject to any of its rules, yet applications for relief under un-der the fund must be made to the ministry and its local officers are the ones who investigate. A |