THE NAVAL RELIEF FUND.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 168, 15 July 1916, Page 9

THE NAVAL RELIEF FUND.

(To the Edltor.J

Sir,—l fancy Mr. Ross has not quite understood the position in regard to naval pensions and allowances when he says that the Navy League is raising money under false pretences. The Select Committee, consisting of MessrsBarnes, Chamberlain, Lloyd George, Bonar Law, McKenna, and T. P. O'Connor, expressly stated in their report that the present scale was inadequate, and that recourse must be had to charitable funds. It was decided that all such funds should be administered by a Statutory Committee of twenty-five, including representatives of Labour, the War Office, the Admiralty, the Treasury, and not less than four women. This committee was empowered to supplement out of different voluntary funds the separation allowances and pensions paid by the State. They did not regard an allowance of 10/ a week for a widow, or - 22/() for a widow with four or more. 1 children, as quite so satisfactory as the president of the Farmers' Union regards it. The Government, in the course of the debate, expressly desired that all] supplementary allowances might be met ! by voluntiirv contributions' insteaci of ' any form of extra Government grant. The reason given was that it was possible to use voluntary contributions in a more generous spirit and with more elasticity than any State grant. Perhaps the Farmers' Union do 'not agree., If bo, and it is considered that ten shillings a week is adequate for the widows of men to whose courage and devotion we owe our all, then I would recommend to them the appeal issued by Lady Jellicoe on behalf of the many sailors who have been blinded in the war and the work for whose training is entirely dependent on voluntary contributions. Lady Jellicoe says she sincerely hopes that this excellent work will not be. allowed to fail for lack of funds. I understand a part of the present fund will be devoted to the blind. As far as I can see this fund can hardly come under the head of false pretences, even if an appeal backed by Bonar Law, Lloyd Georgq and the other members of the Select Committee is suspect. The British Government admits itself that it hsus not entirely done its duty in the matter of naval pensions, so it is not easy to see why it should be improper for the Navy League to say so too. Sir John Jellicoe eaid in writing to a little blind girl named Kathleen, who had sent him a scarf she had knitted, that the memory of her kind thought would always help him to endure with a brave heart the many dangers and hardships of the North Sea, because he would always remember that it was to prevent the Germans being very cruel to little girls like her that our was keeping watch and ward in the north. It was to prevent the Germans being very cruel to our own little boys and girls that our sailors went down with • Cradock and Hood. We hardly show the measure of our gratitude when we consider a shilling or two a week an eminently satisfactory allowance for their little ones, or when we state that the British Government is making a fair and liberal provision, when thp same Government has itself admitted the inadequacy and has appealed for voluntary contributions to supplement the grant.—l am, etc., W. G. MONCKTON. ITo tUc Editor.) Sir.—On my return from a week's travelling in the south of New Zealand, 1 regret to find that the Auckland branch of the Farmers' Union are still trailing the tail of their coat and inviting Captain Thomas as president of the •Navy League North Sea Relief Fund to tread on it. In your issue of Thursday afternoon appear two letters, one signed by Mr. A. A. Boss, and the identity of the writer of the second one is hidden under the initials P.C. From these letters and Mr. Ross' remarks at the meeting of the Farmers' Union it is quite evident that they place the greatest reliance on logic, and have the greatest disregard for the generous prompting.? of humanity.' They complain that Captain Thomas has not answered their logic with logic. Will you permit mc a little space to say that Captain Thomas has manfully and generously faced the duties which he rightly considers belong to him, and with the assistance of a number of the Auckland citizens has spared neither time, money, nor energy in helping to raise the funds for assisting the dependents of the Xorth Sea victims, and this action seems to have roueed the ire of some of the members of the Auckland' Farmers' Union Executive. This is shown by the attitude they adopt, and it is a pity that such: a Hand should have been taken in the Auckland province, where hitherto a spirit of noble generosity in patriotic services has prevailed.

I trust that we sliall not have further occasion to waste time on a fruitless controversy, and would remind Mr. Rose and fellow-members of his executive that they lave been invited to take a place on our committee and to work as British men should work for such an object. They have also been invited to display their interest and generous feelings by making a substantial donation to these funds. To neither of these requests have we had a response, and as the members of their executive are by no means poverty-stricken and have undoubtedly made increased and substantial profits through the increase of prices due directly to the war, we must refuse to consider their further correspondence until they have proved their bona fides by makinjr substantial donations to thiis fund. One unanswerable piece of logic for them is the following fact, that the people of New Zealand, incinding numbers of farmers, have subscribed already over £60,000 for this purpose, and against these sixty thousand golden facts their cold logic is useless. Mr. Ross seems to think that 10/ per week is sufficient remuneration for, the widow of a man who loses his life in order that lie and his fellows may make inflated profits. This is according to his statement made at the meeting of their executive on Thursday. We only hope tbkt Mr. Ross , dependents will never have to try to eke out a livelihood on so meagre a pension as three times this amount, and such a thing only needs to be stated to stimulate still further the generous spirit of the citizens of the Auckland province.—l am, etc,

ALFRED G. LTJNN, Hon. Treasurer Navy League North Sea Relief Fund.