GENEROUS GIFTS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 75, 21 December 1917, Page 6

GENEROUS GIFTS

A TRIBUTE TO NEW ZEALAND. "The generosity of the New Zealand people for all purposes has become very well known here." says the High Commissioner in a letter to a friend in Wellington. "The Dominion contributed about 12s. 6d. in every £ for tl'o relipf of Belgians in Belgium. Of tlip £122.000 contributed for the relief of the dependants nf those who lost their lives in the Jutland Battle, New-Zea-land sent £100,000. I attended the annual meeting of the Navy League, and made some inquiries with reference to the spending of the money. The league purposes using much of the money for the education of the. children of 'those who were maimed cr lost their lives, but I reMly think that tin's is the dutv of the Home Government. I have been enabled to plnce on the Navy League Committee representatives (if New Zealand in the persons r>f Mr. Douglas M'Leari and Mr. James Contes. "Now we are rcciviiif! money for children who have suffered in air raids. The difficulty, however. _ is to I'iid people who will accept this money. The distribution of these funds entails serious responsibility. There w not that poverty here that -people in New Zcnlnnd are often led to believe exists, especially now, for tl\e great circulation of money due to expenditure for warlike purposes hns placed tho majorihy of people in circumstances sueh ns they never enjoyed before, ,and, therefore, little is required in tlm shape of charitable aid. However, the time may come when every shilling will he required, and it behoves us to be exceedingly careful in our line of action now, and that is what T am doing."