PATRIOTIC WAR FUNDS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 127, 29 May 1919, Page 8

PATRIOTIC WAR FUNDS.

CANNOT BE DIVEBTED. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT. • (By Telegraph.— Press Association.) ' CKRISTCHURCH, Wednesday. The following telegram from the Hon. G. YV. Russell was road to-day by .Mr. J. Elliott, one of the Auckland delegated , to the Returned Soldiers' Conference:— , "I have given very careful consideration I. io tlie question of the transfer ot h Boneys from the Women's Patriotic | , League to the Returned Soldiers" Chit> I j Fund, but the legal diliiculties in the!, say are insurmountable. The sole | j objects of the Women's Patriotic:, League, when established, were to pro . ■ride comforts for soldiers, hospital sup- , plies, and the care of soldiers" de-l ■pendents (clothing, etc.) Oil September! JS, li'lG, the fund was approved under j, ihe War Funds Act. and in May, 1018,;. ihe title was altered to the Auckland ; Women's Provincial Patriotic League, : but at no time have the approved ob-; , jects oi the League been extended. The j, special appeal made in 101S for funil.t j , was not accompanied by a request for:. the widening of the objects of the| League, the text of such appeal being j 'to provide for our soldier lads, in camp, i on transport, at the front, or in hospital. and for giving assistance to their dependents.' i '"The opinion of Sir John Salmond on , the application from the C'hristchureli Lady Liverpool Fund trustees placed it! beyond doubt that the money now in | hand cannot legally be diverted to the ; erection of soldiers' clubs, as "being outside and beyond the objects for wliicn the moneys were raised. The position is that there is a sum of approximately . '£400,000 held by other societies in New Zealand in the same category as the money held by the Auckland Women's! Patriotic League, and already applic.i-i tions have been received for a diversion of a portion of this money to objects other than that for which the money was raised, and which T have had to decline. "Even if the legal difficulties in thei \ra.y of meeting your request could have i been overcome the responsibility is such! that I could not agree to these funds i>einjr diverted without rue approval ot Parliament. Therefore, while 1 am personally desirous of assisting returned 3oldiers in the laudable object oi pro Tiding hostel accommodation. I am unable, acting on advice of the ■Solk'irorGeneral. whom I have seen apT»iu this planting, to legally assist them."'* '■

IAX EMPHATIC DEXIAL. |

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) *» WELLINGTOK, Wednesday. The Minister for Internal Affairs, the Hon. G. W. Russell, stated to-day that his attention had been drawn to the report of the Returned Soldiers' Association Conference at Christchurch, in ■which, the chairman said "there \va3 no question that the Government, or rather the Minister for Internal Affair.*, would attempt to seize those funds for his own pet schemes. For instance. It was suggested they might be used for sanatoria for consumptive soldiers. That idea was preposterous." ilr. Russell said he had therefore telegraphed to the president of the conference as follows:—' : (1) I emphatically deny that trie Government has any desire to seize or otherwise interfere with the- patriotic funds. Its only responsibility is to see that the\ are expended under the War Funds Act for the purposes for which they were raised. (2) Xo suggestion has been made by mc that the patriotic fundmight be for sanatoria for consumptive soldiers. I shall, therefore, feel obliged if you will inform mc ot your authority for the above statement, or, in the alternative, withdraw it."