RETURNED SOLDIERS ANNUAL MEETING

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume L, Issue 7958, 10 April 1922, Page 4

RETURNED SOLDIERS ANNUAL MEETING

(Continued frt m p.)ge j ) At March 31, 1920, there were 2-13 active members on our register, and 65 honorary members, totalling 308 members. At March 31, 1921, there were 293 active members, and 47 honorary members, totalling 340 members. To-day we have 335 active members, 28 honorary members, totalling 363 members an increase of 42 active members, and a decrease rf 19 honorary members for the year. Transfers Inwards - Eight transfers in have been effected during ' the year.

Transfers outwards---Three members have been transferred out to other branches. New members - Thirl y-onc new members have been gained during the year. ' Meetings Your executive held 11 meetings during the year. There have been well attended general meetings, and many sub-committee

meetings. Honorary Members—Our honorary members at present total 28, a decrease of 19 for this time last year. We regret noting this, and wc should very much like to have more honorary members, and also’ would like to see those who have let their subs lapse renew same, I hereby helping the cause for which wc strive. Retirement of Officers Then have been no retirements from tb; executive committee, but Messrs L J. Hall (organising secretary), and W. Davis (assistant organising sec retary) reluctantly handed in their resignations upon being ordered to Pukecra Sanatorium. Messrs T. J. Gardiner and W. A. S. London were appointed to fill these vacancies.

‘Lands Settlement--Your committee in the past has had much to do in dealing With this important question. During the year matters have been rectified for several members with grievances, and several anomalies have been removed, Pensions -- This Association, through its efforts, has obtained in some cases pensions for its members, and in other cases increases of penions, where the existing pensions were inadequate to the disability. It was also instrumental in getting the Pensions-Board to attend at Tauranga last month.

Pensions Board- A few of our members apeared before this Board but mainly with unsatisfactory resulljs. Y'our committee considers that the Board has outlived its usefulness and that its continued existancc as at present constituted is not only unnecessary but wasteful. Repatriation Y’our Association was represented on the Repatriation Committee by (Mr J. F. Wintlc until his accident. Since that time Mr 11. Pethcrbridge has represented this Association. We have been most fortunate in having had such an able secretary as Colonel G, A. Ward in.charge of the local department, who has at all limes done his utmost to further the interests of returned soldiers, his time being of no consideration where a man required help, guidance or advice. Hi? retirement, owing to ill-health, was much regretted by all, and we sincerely hope his health will be restored. Mr R. L. Thomas, Colonel Ward's successor, is familiar to us nil as our Honorary Auditor. We feel sure that Mr Thomas will give the returned men every assistance he can in repatriation matters, and wc were more than plea’sed that lie has decided to accept the position Patriotic Funds - During the vear a few applications male through the Association, for small amounts were granted. Several applications for grants under the Permanently Disabled Fund, were not /granted. We applied during the year for representation on the Patriotic. Committee, but with no result.

Ccuftnence Your secretary was chosen as delegate to the Distriet Conference held in Auckland last year, and all remits and business forwarded by him were satisfactorily dealt with. Canteen Funds As at this time last year these funds haVe not been distributed nor has any definite course been decided upon., as lo what Use they are to bo put to. The funds appear to be all locked up in Government securities. Club Rooms Your committee has been severely handicapped during the past vear through the rental «.»f the present rooms having been raised from ten shillings per week to tweiilv-five shillings per week at the ruiiuueneemiiil of tin- Year. This has |,iov.d a bug hnidlv and a balan v of Clu odd n t;l! < wing as

rental for these rooms. The billiard room has proved a losing proposition ever since it was opened, chiefly owing to the smallness of file room, the lack of comfort for players and onlookers, and the fait that one table does not pay where two tables would. During the last rleven months a caretaker has been employed for a nominal -sum to look after the rooms, and he has done his work faithfully and well. However, on the secretary reporting Ic the executive some six months ago that the table was bringing practically nothing in, and pointing out the extra expenditure involved, namely, rent 15/ per week, caretaker 10/.per week, instalments on table at the rate of 20/ per week making 1 a totaßof .£2/5/ per week - your committee decided to dispose of the table. The table was adverlised for sale in Auckland, Te Puke, Tauranga, Rotorua and Waihi papers, but without result.

Dances, etc. Y'our organising committee held two dances during the year, also a War Trophies Exhibition at Ihe Wesleyan Bazaar, the takings at the latter being handed to the Wesleyan Church, The proceeds of the first dance, which were very considerable, augmentei the fund in aid of disabled soldiers. The proceeds of the second dance, which were small, went towards the working funds of the Association. War Trophies Distribution - A German machine gun was allotted to this branch of (the Association by the War Trophies Association, and. is in the secretary's charge in the Town Hall. Governor's Visit The GovernorGeneral visited Tauranga on April 1. A large number of members attended tlie civic welcome in the Town Hall, and the following morning His Excellency did us the honour of paying an unofficial visit to our Club Room.

New Building—At a general meeting, held in January, 1920, it was decided to look out for a suitable section upon which to build rooms of our own, or to secure a building which could be altered to suit onv requirements. A committee was formed, wlnc.h reported to the last annual meeting, and at that meeting it was resolved to carry on with, the scheme. However, owing to financial stress, it was resolved to wait until times became more normal, and particulars of the scheme and a plan of the proposed building are being filed away for future reference.

Obituary—We deeply regret having tc record the death of one of our eldest members of committee, namely, Mr E. Reeve, who was an ardent supporter of the Association, and an active worker. His helpful presence is sorely missed. . Anzac Day- We are pleased to report that this day was observed by one aiid all as a close day in Tauranga last year, A parade was held of all bodies, from the school to the Town Hall, where a combined service of all denominations was held, the hall being crowded. Your President, Lieutenant-Colonel F. A. Wilson and Colonel G. A. Ward both made impressive addresses, and all were united on this one day in the year in showing their respect to the memory of the men who had fallen.

Memorial Gates —During the month of December the Tauranga Memorial Gates Committee invited the Association to attend the official opening of the Tauranga Memorial Gates on December 11, 1921, Your committee accepted the invitation, called a parade, and joined in the procession from the Tauranga school lo the Tauranga domain, where a most impressive and touching service was conducted. At the close of the service the gates were officially opened by the’Hon. Sir William Homes.

Conclusion--Your committee filially desires to thank members for their confidence and support and trust that like support will be given to the incoming committee. Members. can materially help the committee in many different ways, and your com nut ice hopes that every member will do all he can in further iiur the Association s work dining the new year upon which we are new entering.

Social Evening. After the business was concluded the remainder of the evening was. spent in a social way. songs being sung bv Messrs Foster, Meadows, Clarke' W. Stevens and Coleman, Messrs M. Meadows and H. Steven? plaving the accompaniments. The toast of the evening, that of Sir Amhew Rmsell, was proposed bv Mi J. M. Roberts, who said that he was verv plea.-ej to have the privilege of' proposing the toast of one whom all loved to obey and serve and honour, There were few things in the aimv that an officer |-1 eferrod before the honour and respect of his men. and although General Ru-.-el! no doubt loved to have the honour and respect of the men, he had something more—honour. and love and respect from the fit, me 1 ’ of the men. The (oast was enthusiastically honoured.

Sir Andrew, in replying, said it gave him great pleasure to be presem, and to note that Tauranga had such a strong branch of the Association, and a very live one. He thanked the men sincerely for the way they had received him. It was not possible for officers of senior rank to know the men under him individually, but lie wished (o thank them all for the way in which they had treated’him at the front. Nothing helped an officer so much as the knowledge that all who were with him worked in a friendly spirit. Wherever he went he found men ready to do their best to ease the day s work. In thanking those present he was thanking all those in the New Zealand division who helped to make his path easier. When he returned from the front he felt disinclined to do anything, but after a while he felt that lie must be up and doing, and he had taken up the work of the Association in the hope that he might be able- to 1 assist the returned soldier. The men may sometimes think that they were supporting a -show that spent a good deal of money without accomplishing very much,, but he desired to assure (hem that such was not the case. In the executive the Association possessed ian excellent body of mbn who. had their whole hearts in the work, and, who, although busy men, were prepared to devote every hour cf their spare time to the work cf the Association, which dealt with nearly everything that affected the civil life of the Returned Soldier. He/ knew that the Association had not got everything that it had asked for from the Government, but it had nevertheless to be admitted that the Government had acted very generously towards I he returned man. The Association had done much to make smooth the path of the disabled mail. The Government, had been willing, backed by the sympathy of the people of New Zealand, to do' its utmost, and the Association had endeavoured to point the way. He felt that the advice of the Association had been generally, on sound lines. Many things had perhaps been asked for that could not quite be expected, and branches sometimes made demands which it was not possible to meet. It had to be remembered that all of us were in the country, and if it wore a question of finding, two or throe million pounds that money had to come out of the pockets of all. Taxation was heavy enough now, and the men had lo remember, in making demands that would involve considerable expenditure that it meant considerably increasing that taxation. The Association, he assured them, was looking after their interests and doing their work well. 'Twenty per cent of the men who returned were still disabled in some way as the result of their wav service, and their care was the special duty of the Association. It was up to the 80 per cent, who had come back sound in limb and health and able to fight their own battles, to stand by the Association and enable it to see justice done to the men no longer able to fight the battle of life themselves. Although the Government was perfectly ready, when the facts are explained, to do justice in any particular case, they very often are not full} 7 aware of the whole facts. It was the business of the Association to see that the full facts were laid before the Government. So many of us were walking througb life*, on the sunny side of the road, taken up with I heir own affairs, and not seeing the man on the shady side. It was the duty of the Association to go down the shady side, but, to do that it must have the cooperation of the majority of the ieturned soldiers of the country. It was only a strong organisation, well organised and active, that would command the attention of the Government, which alone could right the wrongs that existed—-the true aim of the Association was to help the man who had fallen by the wayside. A remit, he noticed, was to go forward to Auckland regarding immigration. The country required immigration, but it was no gfcod bringing people here until proper arrangements are made to find work for them when they arrived. He felt that the question of unemployment would have to be faced this winter, and in Wellington an endeavour was being made to work out a scheme applicable to returned soldieis. 'This must be done before others are brought here. Our own men must be looked after first of all. ft was a serious problem but had to be solved. Then there was the question of pensions. It was felt that the pensions were not on a satisfactory scale for men suffering 50 per cent, or more disability, while cn the other hand pension;were being drawn at ihe present moment by men who really had no need of them. There should be a revision, and the pensions now being drawn unnecessarily should go lo the men who need them. An enormous number of cases of men and muses came before the Association who had been turned down bv the Government because their (.in'- \ure not properly understood. In conclusion Sir Andrew urged the men to stick together, and apply

some cf the useful lessons learnt at the front - “If we stick together we can pull this country out cf any sort vi hole it likes to get into.” The National Anthem brought the proceedings to a close at midnight.