A National "Naval Heroes Fund."

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15612, 9 June 1916, Page 6

A National "Naval Heroes Fund."

A valued correspondent of "The Press," who lias shown a keen, and generous interest in the patriotic movements advocated in its columns, suggests that we should not restrict ourselves simply to providing for the families of the naval heroes who perished in the fight off Jutland, but. that wo should establish « Dominion Fund for the benefit of the dependents of every seaman of the Iloyal Xavy who may be hilled or disabled during the present war. AVe heartily agree with th: s view. Our immediate business, of course, is to relieve the necessities of tho families left more or less unprovided for by tho six thousand men who went down in tho fight off Jutland. l»;it, after those havo been fairly provided for, any surplus fJiould bo kept for • future cases of tho same kind. It is practically ccrtain that there will bo other great naval battles beforo the -war is over, and many more of our brave seamen will give up their lives for tho Empire. "Wo hope the 2vavy League branches

throughout, New Zealand "will organise such a movement, and that tho people of this country will make a point of contributing to it regularly, if everyone who could afford it gave only sixpence a week —the price of a single admission t 0 a picture show—the sum raised would form a very substantial token of our gratitude to tho men to whom wo roally owo all that we possess. Were such a Fund established, the Government, wo think, might very well subsidise it. as is being done in the case of the Belgium Relief Fund. This would eu-juro some small share in the movement even on the part of those who were so oblivious of their duty as not to givo voluntarily oven the small sum wo have suggested