WHERE CHARITY BEGINS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 171, 21 July 1922, Page 10

WHERE CHARITY BEGINS.

'To tile Kt'Uor.i Sir, — 1 ehould like to reply to your correspondent, '"One of the Committee," re the Russian Famine Fund. The point I wish to emphasise is this. While there is distress in our own country no money shou'.d be sent out to help foreignere, ami there certainly i-s distress here. Let "One of the Committee" pay a visit to the Secretary of the R.S.A. I am sure that Mr. Elliot will show him not one, but dozens of c-a-scs where returned soldiers and their families are barely existing. And Auckland is not the only town in New Zealand. Also, add to tliw the distress amongst civilians. The unemployment question is sufficient proof of what I =ay. What I wish to .say. and say most emphatically, is that our own people should come first in everything— ineiuding charity. If some persons must send money to other nations, then surely the Allies that stood with ug throughout I the war ehou'd come before a nation that "let us down.' . With regard to this latter, I do not refer to the Russian retreat from Galicia, as '"One of the Committee' , states. I refer to the Allied retreat in 1018. Russia "pulling out" was tiie .cause of thU. If your corresI pondent had been there he wou'd have seen jiitt as pitiful ■sights—old men, women and children I am referring to — j as has been seen in Ru-sia. The retreat - from Mons was similar. There ia nothing | woree than the trail of the Ilun. ami i only those of us that were there helping . to block it can fully realise its awfulness. j If we in Xew Zealand have money to j spare, then let it lie spent in the devastated regions of France and Belgium where those brave old men, women and children are Strugging so bravely to keep body and soul together.—l am, etc., Ist A.1.8. (To the Editor.) Sir,—-Where charity 'begins and ena3 is decided simply and solely by the kindheartedness and humanity "of people individually. There can be no law on the matter, as we arc all free to act as our nature prompts. If "Ist A.1.8." has not sufficient sympathy for his fellow creatures to contribute to a collection in aid of the starving in Russia, or -anywhere else, he is not obliged to do so. His contention that Russia let us down at a critical period of the war I has nothing to do with the case, as the masses in Russia were no more responsible for the conduct of the war than we in New Zealand were for the actions of our statesmen and generals. "A.1.8." says we are always collecting for foreigners, which may be true, but 1 cannot remember any others recently. Certainly the last three collections were ior our own people, ana witn all aue respect to your correspondent, I maintain that it was a disgrace to the .New Zealand Government that "Poppy Day" was necessary to relieve the distress among returned soldiers. These men do j not need charity; they need work. If I "A.1.8." is really concerned about them he should join forces with those who are trying to make the Government fulfil the promisee made to them when they enlisted. There is an element of truth in the old adage, that "charity begins at home," but it cannot end there, becauee true charity springs from love of humanity, and is therefore 'boundless. — I am, etc., EMILY GIBSON. (To the Editor^ "Anti-Russky," who wae a member of the relief torce which in lijli) extricated the British expedition from Northern Russia, states that those who participated in this venture —and there are about five resident in Auckland— have been unable to obtain any recognition of their war activities and are i»cknowledgfd neither by the authorities nor relief associations. When in Russia they received the scurviest treatment from the Russians in whose interests they risked their lives. He concludes: Charity certainly begins at home. Help the poor unfortunate that the Bolshie made suffer, before giving good money away. There are plenty of : worthy men, women and children in this j country who can well do with assistance. .Another point I want to get at j is the fact that the men I mention with | Russian eerviee to their credit are colonial bred and born, and yet our own Government prefers to help t a newcomer. A returned soldier, with*N.Z.KF. service to his credit, has the R.S.A. to help him, but we few can get nothing from patriotic, repatriation or other funds, as we joined up after November 11, 1918, and really were at a quite separate war that the authorities absolutely refuse to know anything about. We do not ask something for nothing. I can assure you! ,- We are taught to forgive and forget, but when one has seen inside Russia and experienced what is going on, it is impossible to forgive. Get rid of that Soviet Government and teach the children in a proper manner, and you may do some good. But 'believe mc, the young generation of Russia will not benefit by the money collected here. It will all be well planted and got rid of before they derive good. In any case, our Education Department ie in need of funds just now, and with [ a few hundred more prospective wives j coming to New Zealand, it is time they , made preparation to help the offspring of some of the lads who have done it I hard in the late world struggle. §» per--1 haps you people with money to give - away to Russians, will help your own, and," I hope, derive benefit from so