PULL TOGETHER"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 109, 10 May 1943, Page 5

PULL TOGETHER"

ST. JOHN AND RED CROSS APPEAL BY SIR ERNEST DAVIS In dealing with a published memorandum forwarded by the Auckland ■ Centre of the Red Cross Societv to the Joint Council of the Order'of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society, Sir Ernest Davis, chairman of the joint council stated at the annual meeting that to: him it seemed rather regrettable that the framers of recent, resolutions,, embodied, in. a memorandum, undue importance to points ot procedure. The matter had been published in the Press. At the same time there had been an appeal to Wellington in a manner, that was provocative and which could only lead to unnecessary friction. The foundations upon which botn the Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John were built were the care of the , helpless-and the protection ot suffering members of the fighting forces. This work would not be carried out adequately without mutual goodwill, trust and respect, said Sir Ernest. It had always been his conception that that was the fundamental- principle upon which the Joint Council Act was enacted. "As yon know, this Act was passed to enable our two organisations to co-operate and work closely together for the welfare of the sick and wounded members of our tighting forces, as well as our prisoners of war," said Sir Ernest. "The context of the resolutions was misleading, and in a seriatim fact was made absolutely clear. ■ In referring- to the matter as unfortunate, Sir Ernest pointed out ■that all the points raised could easily have been cleared up round the council table. In asking that differences be sunk, Sir Ernest said, without enlarging on the terrible, devastating, unholy war now raging, in which so many of our loved ones were engaged, that it did seem, in. the face of such a conflict and such circumstances, that some of the matters he had traversed were, to -say the least, bordering on futility. With all that, both organisations were doing—each in its particular field—a grand work and deserved the highest praise for it. "Any comments I. have made are entirely detached from any inference to the contrary," said Sir Ernest. "Only restrained common sense and goodwill can solve any friction and unfriendly rivalry that may exist between the two organisations. I suggest to the members of both bodies that they forget their identity when they meet, pull' wholeheartedly together, and earnestly co-operate in the common cause, thereby carrying out the true function of our constitution which is, to my way of thinking, co-ordina-tion of two aspects of one and same effort." -:•.-,