PATRIOTIC APPEAL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 36, 12 February 1943, Page 4

PATRIOTIC APPEAL

DEFICIT OF £60,206

1842 COMMITTEE'S REPORT

A report of the Patriotic Appeal Committee to the Auckland Metropolitan Patriotic Committee gives reasons why the 1942 patriotic appeal did not reach the total objective of £223.365, which comprised the quota of £129,079 set by the National Patriotic Fund Board for the Auckland Metropolitan district and an additional sum of £94,286 to cover local requirements. The report states that the amount collected is £163,159, leaving a deficiency of £60,206. The Auckland metropolitan share of the provincial quota for the year, £302,193, was originally £145,808, and a further provision had to be made for provincial requirements. The Provincial Council fixed its objective at £500,000, of which the Auckland metropolitan share was £241,250, but on account of the large military establishments around the city, the appeal committee named £275,000 as its objective. The provincial quota was later reduced by the National Patriotic Fund Board to £267,525, causing the metropolitan quota to fall to £129,079, £16,729 less than before. With the sum of £94,286 added for local needs, the metropolitan share became £223,365. Varying Response All professions . and trades were asked by the appeal committee to appoint organisers to canvass their own groups, and a request was made to the trade unions to support the appeal officially. In this respect, the [ committee was disappointed, as most unions claimed , inability to assist. However, this contrasted sharply with many groups of employees, business firms and schools. Special slogans for the street collections increased the contributions, for it was found that many people failed to respond to the "all purposes" slogan, but wished to know the definite purpose of the appeal. Art unions and raffles were permitted by the Metropolitan Committee after the Appeal Committee had realised that the objective would not be reached by direct giving,' but it had been too late to organise a large art union. Misunderstanding Over Parcels The committee felt that many people, in giving reasons for opposing the fund, were merely looking for an excuse to refuse, because so many points were raised that had been satisfactorily answered. Adverse publicity regarding the granting of a personal bonus remained, and many people protested over the grant for medical supplies to Russia being taken from the fund. \ Various other reasons, mostly due to people entertaining servicemen and the competition from the national savings campaign were advanced. Another important reason was that men overseas receiving RedCross parcels were not that the money for these had been supplied. by the Patriotic Fund. Similar conditions, it was pointed out, anplied to the Y.M.C.A., Church Army and Salvation Army huts in camps, which made no reference to the fact that the cost of providing them was borne by the Patriotic Fund.

The Metropolitan committee paid warm tribute to the work done in a purely honorary capacity by the organising secretary, Mr. L. W. Swan, who had also given free use of his office.