PATRIOTIC FUNDS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2691, 10 February 1916, Page 3

PATRIOTIC FUNDS

THE STATE'S DUTY STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER

A Ohristchurch message states tliafc when addressing a meeting of the Canterbury Patriotic Committee on Mon-c'V'-l on -' E. u .ssell said some or the Patriotic Committees in the worth Island had freely and gladly offered to assist with donations towards ftie building and equipment of the King George V. Hospital at Rotorna. On the other hand, some of the large committees had refused to help. The Canterbury Committee had taken up this attitude when he had appealed for some assistance in the building or equipment of the proposed new hospital at Hanmer, and he very much regretted its decision, as he thought it was along such lines that the committee could properly spend some of the money subscribed for the assistance of sick and wounded soldiers. The attitude of some of the committees had been that it was' the Government's duty to build such hospitals, and if they refused to assist, then certainly the Government would do its duty and build the hospitals. But, as Minister "dm.n.stcring the War Funds Act, he bad the right to know what was bein ff done with the £750,000 which had been collected, and that was the reason why he had asked that a return should be provided showing in what manner the money was being spent. For instance, there was a fund of £70.000 in Wellington, of which less than £100 t. j een spent in six months. The funds were not meant for hoarding, and he considered there was a. danger ?£ R eO P' e ?'ho lrere responsible for ■j 111 holding on to them with the idea of making permanent funds of them.. Tiie danger of this course was that in 20 or 30 years the' men and their dependents would all be dead or grown up, and there would be large accumulations of money which should have been spent in relieving the necessities of this generation. Finally he would say plainly that the Government had no intention of "collaring" the funds, and he hoped Christchureh would decide to follow a lead and assist with the Hanmer Hospital. i f'lA" J?" Turnbull said much of what Mr. Russell had said was rather J. es i i point. The main fact was that the committee had been assured that, the Government did not intend to interfere with, the work of patriotic associations. He would like to lay the idea down clearly as the idea of the Patriotic Committee: (1) That ifc was the duty cf the Government to return the men to the same state of health as when they took them on as soldiers, it that was possible; (2) the committee did not intend -to spend one penny of its money in doing the Government s duty. Tli© funds of the committee were firstly for the dependents or the men who enlisted, and secondly supplement tho Government's pension. These regulations were clearly laid down and would be strictly adhered to. He made those clcar "statements so as to. avoid any misunderstanding in the future.