View report page

136
Tuberculosis, Society for Relief of Distress, Red Cross Emergency
Committee, Friends of the Poor, Newspapers' Benevolent Associations,
Royal Artillery Fund, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Army Service
Corps. In addition, and for the first time, we have obtained a magnificent
gift of clothing from Queen Mary's Needlework Guild.
We still urgently need funds of our own, for many people sent to
hospitals and sanatoria are quite without means, and would be in a very
hard position if pocket money was not provided. We make great efforts
to do this, and have at present 17 men and women to whom we send
small sums for weekly allowances.
For the first time, this year we took part in the Christmas Seal Sale
of the National Society for the Prevention of Tuberculosis; we were not
very successful and the result was a little under three pounds. Odd
sums are often needed when people return home and sign off the National
Insurance, and require this gap filled up before they can get unemployment
benefit, or receive their wages as the case may be, and where time does
not permit their being referred to a society for help.
An example of this may be cited in the case of a woman,
separated from her husband, receiving 10s. for support from her boy,
living with her mother who has an old age pension; the boy earns
10s.; her National Insurance exhausted as she had only worked a
limited time. She has signed on for out-of-work pay, but in the meantime,
when rent and insurance were paid, there was only 10s. net for the
three of them, and extra nourishment from our Tuberculosis Officer.
Help had to be given to tide her over until out-of-work pay was received.
Again a rather spoilt young girl who would have come home if her
mother's fare had not been paid to go and see her. Foolish of the girl,
no doubt, but it would have been a great pity to stop her treatment for
such a trifle—12s. or 14s. There are many other cases such as these
which have to be met.
Our Committee meets weekly and consists of our Tuberculosis Officer
who is Chairman, 3 Nurses from the Dispensary, 2 representatives of the
Invalid Children's Aid Society, 2 representatives from the Borough
Council, 2 representatives from the Public Assistance Committee, 1 representative
from the Charity Organisation Society, 1 representative of the
local Association of L.C.C. School Care Committees, the District Organiser
of L.C.C. School Care Committees, 1 representative of National Health
Insurance Approved Societies, 1 representative of the Soldiers' and Sailors'
Help Society, 1 representative of the British Legion, and 1 representative
of the United Services Fund, all these are appointed yearly by the
Borough Council.