NAVY LEAGUE.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15767, 7 December 1916, Page 2

NAVY LEAGUE.

MEETING OP COMMITTBB,

NEW ZEALAND'S GENEROSITY

A meeting of the General Committee of the Navy League (Canterbury branch) was held last night, Mr A. Boyle, the president, being in the chair.

The statement of receipts and expenditure showed a credit of £124 Is 10d.

The secretary reported that the manager of His Majesty's Picture Theatre had replied to the letter regarding the playing of the National Anthem, and forwarded a letter from Mr Hayward, managing director, approving of the idea of playing the National Anthem at the beginning of performances. Directions had been given to this effect in all the theatres under this management. Nonelof the other picture theatre proprietors had replied to tne League's communication.

Some discussion ensued as to the best means of resuscitating' the apparently defunct branch of the Navy league m Tiniaru, and it was left in the hands of the president and secretary to devise some plan to this end. It was also suggested that it would be desirable to establish a branch at Waimate if possible. The sub-committee appointed reported on the presentation of prizes for the Trafalgar Day essay. It was recommended that the presentation should be held in the Choral Hall on December loth in the afteftioon. The chair would be taken by the- president of the Navy League, and the president of the Victoria League (Mrs Elworthy) would be asked to present the prizes. Captain Marciel had agreed to give a short address to the children, and a programme of dances and music would also be arranged for. The Rev. E. E. Chambers reported on the two entertainments held at the Queen Mary Hospital. The men were very appreciative of the efforts which had been made to amuse them. The Rev. E. E. Chambers said that unless the League had a definite object, he feared it would soon be defunct. In the letter he had written to the chairman, he had referred to the necessity of teaching the history of seapower in the schools, and he was glad to see that in a recent number of "The a similar - policy had been strongly advocated. He had great pleasure in handin e in a further sum of £6 collected by the children of Lyttelton. This made a total of just £72 collected by tho primary school pupils, which showed wnat a little propaganda could do. ' He felt that the members of the Navy League could and should do more than they had done in the past, and the teaching of history was a direction in which they could very well work. They should do, something, and in this connexion he felt th e Overseas Club had rather got to windward of the Navy League with its aeroplane scheme. The speaker referred to the paid members of the League who went through the schools teaching naval history, and he said he hoped that something on the same lines could be done here. The president said he thought a similar plan could not be carried out here, for the majority of the League members here were busy business men, who had no time to devote to such an object. Te wished that Mr Chambers could formulate a concrete scheme. On Mr Marriner's motion, a subcommittee was appointed to deal with the matter. The Rev. Mr Chambers said that he would -bring forward: a- 1 scheme at-the annual meeting, and would also be prepared to give talks to*the pupils at the chief primary schools in _ the meantime, if permission _w.as obtained^ The sub-committee was finally appointed as follows: —The president and Mr Marriner, Captain Marciel, Professor Blunt, and the Rev. E. E. Chambers. Mr Walton, of the Boys' High School, warmly approved of the idea mooted by the Rev. E. E. Chambers. He had given talks on naval history to the boys at the High School, and these had been appreciated and had had a good effect. In response to a letter from Mr Leonard Clark, who forwarded a resolution passed by 280 Chambers of Commerce at Home with regard to the replacement of ships sunlT"by Germany, it was decided to ask the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce to pass a similar resolution, and to endeavour to get all the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce to pass a similar resolution. Mr Marriner 6aid he would bring the matter before the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce at its quartarly meeting. Letters were received and read by tho president from Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, Lord Beresford, and Mr r\ J. Hannon, general secretary of the Navy League, warmly thanking the New Zealand branches of the Navy League for the magnificent response the people of New Zealand had made to the appeal for the. dependants of the officers and men who had lost, their lives in naval actions • during the war. Admiral Jellicoe said:—"The general secretary of the Navy League has told me of the fine response to the appeal wade at the instance of the branches of the Navy League in New Zealand, South Australia, and South Africa, on behalf of the Navy League Overseas Relief Fund. The very kind thoughts >vhich prompted these most liberal subscriptions are deeply appreciated by the officers and men of the fleet, and in asking you to convey, if opportunity offers, our. grateful thanks to the donors, I would beg you to assure them that we look upon their generosity towards this fund as an eloquent testimony to the unity of the Empire." Lord Beresford's i letter was as follows: —"I wish to express my warmest thanks and appreciation of your great generosity and patriotic as-, sistance in helping us (the Navy League) by such a handsome donation to benefit the families of those who have been lost in the Royal Navy and Mercantile Marine* during the war, and to those who have become incapacitated. The subscription of £25,000 is simply magnificent, more" particularly considering that the claims of your people have been so very considerable of late, and also that the jtaxation is very heavy throughout the British Empire. You may rest assured that we shall only make grants as fairly as possible, and without any favouritism whatever, and that the large subscriptions sent us will be divided fainy*. It is most generous of you to say that even after your list is closed on Trafalgar Day should more funds.be required you will try to raise them. Will you express my committee's grateful appreciation for the work and the splendid results your committee have attained."

Mr P. J. Hannon, general secretary of the Navy League, 13 Victoria street, London, S.W., wrote: — "Thank you so much for your kind letter dated August 16th. Your instructions with reference to.the appropriation of certain moneys, which yon nave sent to the Overseas Relief Fund, for the benefit of, the dependants of mine-sweepers, will be carefully attended to. As a matter of fact, no distinction is being made by the committee as between Royal. Nary dependants and Royal Naval Reserve dependants ; so. long as the man has been serving in a ship of war no matter in what capacity he is employed, his dependants are eligible for grants from the fund. Your letter will be placed before Lord Beresford on "Wednesday next, and you may be quite satisfied that your 'wish .will be endorsed by him and by the committee. I am very

glad to approve of the stand which has been made by the Navy League to prevent the fund so generously subscribed by your people falling into the hands of' a* Governmental Administrative body. In answering official communications both the Colonial Office nnj the Admiralty suggested that moneys subscribed for dependants should be handed ove r to the War Pensions Statutory Committee. In justice to the latter body, however, they at once admitted the justice of our position, and agreed that our fund should be supplementary to and not take the place of any assistance which the State was bound to provide. Indeed as a consequence of the negotiations which took place the Government has approved of supplementary pensions being given from moneys voted by Parliament. I should like* you particularly to see the copy of my letter addressed to the High* Commissioner for New Zealand, which I sent to Mr Treleaven. It is impossible for the Belief Committee to employ all the moneys we have received with economy and advantage for whom the fund is intended by doling it out at once. The real grinding nped for relief will come -vvhen widows and orphans are transferred from the generous allowances not made to them by the Admiralty and are put on a comparatively small pension. You know, of course, that the Admiralty decided after the battle of Jutland to allow the sailors' allotments and separation allowances to continue to be paid to his dependants for a period df 26 weeks. This, of course, relieves our fund from ah immediate enormous demand, and the real pinch will come at the expiration of the six months' period. I hope, also, we shall have your sympathetic support in the suggestion I nave made to the High Commissioner that a most commendable charity would be to assist the education of the children of the men who have been lost. In this country children leavo elementary schools at 14. and unless there is some means ~.f he'ping them they inevitably drift into blind alley employment. We want to prevent this in the case of children of our seamen and marines who have been lost, and it is with this object in view that the suggestion has been made. The committee will deeply appreciate any advice coming from you, and any suggestion you make will be at once considered."

It was unanimously resolved, • on the motion of the president, that the Relief Fund should be kept open for the duration of the war.