PATRIOTIC FUNDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 311, 31 December 1915, Page 6

PATRIOTIC FUNDS.

A CALL TO AUCKLAND. TO HELP THE GOVERNMENT. HON. G. VV. RUSSELL'S APPEAL. HOSPITALS WILL SUFFER BY REFUSAL. Much discussion has recently arisen in connection with the administration and functions of the patriotic funds raised ai, various times since the outbreak of the war. and in Auckland the question of whether State obligations should be discharged out of funds raised voluntarily lias been warmly debated. The latest occasion on which this point of principle has cropped up was in connection with tho hospital and convalescent home scheme of the Government in connection with which tlie patriotic funds were invited to cooperate by grants and by paying for the treatment of men under certain conditions. The attitude of the Auckland Patriotic Association may be fairly said to be that of considering'that the primary object of the fund was to £ivc assistance to the soldiers and relatives supplementary to the Government benefit, more particularly when the soldier had been discharged! The Minister in Charge of Hospitals (the Hon. G. VV. Russell) who is at present staying in Auckland in connection with the arrival of the Malieno, was asked by a "Star" representative this morning to define precisely what are thfi proposals of the Government in regard to the treatment of military patients 1n military camps at the expense of the Patriotic Funds. GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY. '■The Government accepts full responsjbil.ty lor the health of the men while they are soldiers of the Empire and antil the date of their discharge," said Mr Kussell in reply. "For tiiis purpose "arrangements have been made that all the hospitals in New Zealand are placed at the disposal of the Government for the reception and the treatment of the sick and wounded soldiers. The Government pave to the hospital boards the entire coat of the treatment of the men, in addition to a number of other charges which do not come within the scope of the administration of the hospitals. As a further means of assisting them to [ health, convalescent camps are being J established at Pukeroa (Rotorua), and llanmer Springs. Other convalescent • itetitutione for the treatment of men at the seaside by sea bathing aiul for neurasthenic patients under the clddsifli cation 1 have already made public will be established anil carried on by the Government. It has been my ambition, as Minister of Public Health," to release the "hole of the war funds for the speeiiic purpose for which they were rawed, namely, the provision of men and munitions as required, and from the time I took office 1 have endeavoured to formulate a scheme under which, whatever institutions we require as public hoepitals, will be provided aa far as possible by public donations and the assistance of the patriotic committees. In this direction, as is well known, considerable sums have been received. 1 have had a £1,000 from the Uairarapa Committee, £1,000 from Mrs. T. H. Lowry at Hawke's Bay on behalf lof the Hawke's Hay district, £500 from Mr. Hope Gibbons on behalf of W'anganui. £500 from the Salvation Army, and a number of other sums whioh have been devoted to the funds in the exercise of prerogative. NOTHING FROM AUCKLAND. " Up to the present I life received na money from the Auckland district, although Rotorua is practically an Aucki land institution. Moreover, I understand that the Rotorua district has I handed to the Auckland Patriotic Executive sums amounting to ,approximately .C 4.000 for patriotic pui poses. It appears to mc that the Government has a legitimate claim upon the Auckland executive for specific assistance for the Rotorua Institution. The Auckland Patriotic Committee approximately has .C?3.-;,000 in hand, collected not" only within the city, but throughout the entire province by local committees. Bosides the sums I have stated which have ' been subscribed for Rotorua. I have no money placed at pjy disposal for the purpose of the erection and equipment of I the Pukeroa Hospital. Whatever money lia require,! outside the moneys that have been donated lias to come from the War i Fund which was raised specifically for ! the carrying on of the war. I nend ■ hardly Ray that the principal appeal that Jis made to the patriotic people of tho province of Auckland was on behalf of the sick and wounded soldiers, and how better can that money be spent than by handing to the responsible Minister at any rate some portion of it for the purpose of helping our soldiers back to full he-'lth and strength. If the whole of the money f-at has been raised is going to be held by ihe committees and expended only on the soldiers and their dependents after discharge, then T fail to see that the committees will be fulfilling the responsibility they took upon themAN IMPLIED TRUST. '"I feel satisfied," emphatically continued the Minister, " that had the executive made known its intention not to assist any sick and wounded soldier until he had been discharged it would not have been so successful in its appeal to the public. With regard to what has been said that it is the duty of the Government to do this work, "well 1 admit it. It is the duty of the Government to do all it has promised in the way of restoring the men to health, but if the entire responsibility for that work is to be treated as a Government matter 1 ask. why was the money raised for eick and wounded soldiers. The llotorua institution, for its erection and equipment, cost approximately £10,000, but, of course, the entire cost of running it will fall upon the National Fund. I have appealed now to the whole of the patriotic committees in the .North Island to assist mc ill providing for the furnishing and equipment -of the place. I wish that work to be executed upon lines that will he far beyond bare necessity, and which will provide in every -way for the comfort of the men, so that while they are there every assistance may be given for the restoration to health. But my powers in this direction will necesaarilV be limited by the amount of money I have at my disposal. If the patriotic committees place a sufficient sum in my hands the proposaJe that I intend to give effect to, namely, the establishment of workshops and other adjuncts to the hospital, will be much more extensively gone into than will be the ease if I have to call upon the War Fund for the entire cost."

LOCAL CONTROL IMPOSSIBLE. At this stage -t'Te reporter interpolated that at the outeei of the main Auckland patriotic appeal following the raising of moneys for the hospital ship, tile local association offered, and was exceedingly anxious to equip KHbryde and a number of other potential convalescent homes and hospital's at its own expense, ibut the oilers were not availed of by the Government. Was there any important difference between the offer of the Patriotic Association and the assistance now appealed for by the Government?

"It is absolutely essential," replied the Minister, "that the men shall be concentrated in large institutions, first of all because I am determined that as far as possible they should he removed from the temptations which surround them while residing in our large cities. \S i! already have had ample evidence that the health of the men will be far better secured if they are away from the large cities. 1 need not go into details, but the public will know exactly what 1 moan. In the second place, thpiso institutions must be run as military institutions. You cannot exercise military control in small institutions when- there arc perhape ten or twenty men. Nor can you have the same m«lical service and accommodation. At Rotorua provision is made for 84 men to be, in hospital in the grounds, and there will be accommodation for up to 400 convalescents' in the convalescent camp. Both institutions, -will be under the strictest military oontro-I, for it is found to be absolutely necessary to prevent undesirable hospitality and kindness ot civilians undoing , the work of tlie medical gtuli. With regard t.n the point as to whether the present proposal i.s not the s:iine function as suggested by the Patriotic tornmitten for its funds, all 1 can say is that if the Patriotic Committee desires to establish homes of its own, they will be quite welcome to do that, but they will be only homes where men can be placed after their discharge from the forces. While the men continue as soldiers they must be undor the direct control of the Government in order that it may be ascertained that the full benetit of their treatment is being derived from it. In other words, the object ot my department is to restore every man at the earliest possible moment, so that he can either rejoin the force, or be lit to go oft* the pay-sheet and resume hits civilian status, in which latter cose he conies under the Hon. Mr. Myers as Minister of Poiisious, or the Hon. Mr. Herdman, whose business it is to provide employment and to look after dis charged soldiers in other ways. The policy of the Government right through has been entirely against the soldier being in any other place than under the direct control of its own medical olliccrs."

THE MAYOR'S REPLY.

A QUESTION OF POLICY. FUND TO LAST FOR 25 YEARS. When the statement made by Mr Russell whs brought before the Mayor of Auckland this afternoon, Mr Gunson said in reply that he had received a communication from the Minister appealing for funds for the sanatorium at Kotorua. Tins would be placed before the executive of the Patriotic Association at the next meeting. The executive, however, had already considered the matter, nnd in the past had not been able to see Uβ way clear to make any vote for this purpose. Tlie view had been held that this was properly und essentially a matter for the Government, and it was understood that the (iovernment was prepared to discharge ita responsibilities. From time to time Ministerial statements had been made along- these lines. The Aiayor thought that it was not a case for personal decision, nor for the individual view of members of the executive, but it was one of policy in connection with a vt-ry important fund of a provincial character. In any case, the provincial cell tree would have to be consulted. It anticipated that the operation of the fund would extend over a period of many years, probably 25, and not only did the question of the proposed support of the hospital scheme arise, but the matter had to be considered in relation to the Government's pension scheme. All these questions were too important to be lightly determine")], nnd therefore the executive would be asked to further consider its policy in regard to the matter.

To suggest that the men would suffer imlesfi the Auckland Patriotic Association was prepared to support the present proposals, continued the Mayor, was one tiiat must not lie seriously accepted, for he was satisfied that whether the money wae found by means of the general revenue of the country or through the patriotic funds the public desire was — and the public would see that effect was given to it—that the men should be well cared for and amply provided for. whether undischarged or otherwise. There was no division of opinion on this point, and the only question was one of policy.