PATRIOTIC EFFORT

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 46, 22 February 1917, Page 7

PATRIOTIC EFFORT

WAR RELIEF SOCIETIES

MEETING OF ADVISORY BOARD

The Advisory Board of the New Zealand Patriotic War Relief Societies met to-day. Mr. L. 0. H. Tripp (Wellington) presided. He congratulated the board upon having done good work with the Government with reference to the allowance of £2 per week to soldiers and the position of the widowed mother of a. soldier. The Government had not, however, gone far enough—as least, so far . as the board would like. He pointed out that the societies (at any rate, the Wellington Society was) were acting according to their constitution with regardto disbursements. That was that the, money should be expended on helping the sick, wounded, and necessitous. They had voted money to the Y.M:C.A. and the Salvation Army, organisations which were doing excellent work.. Acondition had been made that the money so voted was to be spent on the sick and wounded and their dependents, and the necessitous. There was a credit balance of £6000 at Home for the comforts fund. The question of who is. responsible foy the' expenditure on recreation huts was discussed at length, the board being of opinion that the money should be expended upon comforts only for the men, the work of erecting huts not coming within the scope of the intention of subscribers to the funds. WIDOWED MOTHERS. .The case, of widowed mothers' separation. allowances was discussed, and it was considered that the limit of £250 of capital or an income of 7s was too low. Mr. Lamer (Auckland) said a widowed mother was not entitled to any separation allowance unless her son provided her with 21s per week. The Government did not make this 21s contribution: .compulsory. The receipt of the age pension also disqualified. Representations should be made to the Minister by the chairman. i

The Chairman, said they had found the Government willing to meet them.

Mr. Grimmond (Westland)' cited the casß of a. woman, who had four sons, of. whom one had been killed, but as she received allotments from the other throe . she got no separation allowance. Mr. Klrkwood (Taranaki) suggested that the Government should be advised to reduce the. limit to 10s, and to deal with each case for separation allowance on its merits. ■. .:. , ■ ; Mr. Snodgrass 1 (Nelson) held that'the capital amount should be waived alto- - gether. - The ■ board should: wait upon the Government arid explain the 'position. .He moved—"That representations be made to the Government by Messrs. Tripp, Lamer, Hope, Gibbons, MTDougall, and Hon Mr. Paul on this matter, to see if ■ some readjustment cannot be arrived at." . : This was carried. : The board considered that the arrangements made'for allotment of pay to soldiers' wives, was satisfactory. PARCELS TO "SOLDIERS. The board considered the high rates/ chargeable on parcels to soldiers, and urged;that it was,too high, although it was admitted that the rate charged onparcels was the ordinary rate within tKe Dominion.. The matter was referred'to the above delegation to bring under notice of the Government. 1 EXTRA COMFORTS. The Minister of Defence wrote in respect of the extra comforts that, in a report ■ from General Richardson, ■it was stated that, the War Contingent Asso- •■'■ ciation send to every man in hospital arriving in England the following' articles : —Razor 6d, shaving brush 4d, tooth brush 3id, hair brush Is 6d, pipe 6d, stamps 3d, underpants 4s, socks (pair) Is 2d, blacking- brushes 6d, blacking tin Id, strop- Bd, shaving soap 6d, tooth, paste 3d, comb 4d, writing paper 4d,' singlet 4s 6d, handkerchiefs S^d, shirt 6s 2d,. polishing brushes Is. ' Some of ' these seemed' to the Minister to be articles wliich should be supplied from the Comforts to Sick and Wounded Fund, and he sought the opinion of the board, so that instructions could be ■ ■ given to avoid overlapping. '

The board resolved to inform the ■Minister that if considered underpants, singlets, socks, and shirts should be supplied by the Government. - . A QUESTION OF DOMICILE. Mr Lamer said that when the wa* broke, out. a small fund was raised in Auckland (now down to £20,000) to re-; lieve cases in Auckland City; but the subscribers to that fund could not be expected to disburse moneys on people who left Auckland City to live elsewhere. This money was obtained purely and simply for the relief of local cases of-distress. On the other hand, a reciprocal arrangement was -made to relieve in Auckland cases of distress from people who came from elsewhere,: collecting the money from the societies in two other parts in-the Dominion. : Mr. Gilkinson (Southland) acknowledged with gratitude what Aucklandhad done.: Mr. Lamer said the Auckland Society had-discouraged people going to Wellington. . The matter then dropped. BED CROSS WORK. The Chairman said the ■ New Zealand Red Cross had been formed, and had excellent people at its head. Mr. M'Dougall said the men in Egypt, he understood, were not well looked afte* now in regard to extra comforts. Mr. Hope Gibbons (Wanganui) said there were about 1700 men there, and they were not neglected by Wanganui and Wairarapa. The men were well looked after. The Chairman said the New Zealand tted Cross had been formed at the instance of the British R«d Cross. The latter was looking after the men at the front; the former did not yet know whaft money it would require. APPEALS.. Appeals from the Salvation Army and WM.C.A. for. funds were considered.. The Army asked for a substantial a<m&tion towards its work at the camps in New Zealand and the convalescent institutes at Rotorua, France, and in Egypt. The V.M.C.A. asked for a. monthly contribution towards its war expenditure and suggested £3000 a month. Mr. Lamer commended the work done by the Salvation .Army and the , V.M.0.A., but his own society felt it could not comply with the , request because members would not be justified' in handing over their funds to the administration by. other sovieties for objects which were not contemplated when the funds were collected: The-funds wero raised for the assistance of returned wounded soldiers and dependents,' and' the dependents of the fallen, and for no other purpose. "Let us stick to pur job," he said, "and when we find our funds are exhausted we can go to the public for. further funds, but not if we vote money away for purposes that the donours never contemplated." '■■■■.■' The appeals evoked considerable discussion,, .but' there was 'no difference of opinion ou the great value of the work being done by the organisations in question. ' Mr. Larner,moved: "That this Advi-. L 6ory ( Board regrets it is compelled to*

decline the ...requests"! of-. th'e:V.'Y."M..CA.' and the Salvation; Army, for a.-joint_con-tribution from patriotic fundsj -ns -. so many of the affiliated societies are working under different constitutions which preclude tho giving of money for the objects named. Tho Advisory- Board, in view of the war work being done in connection with sick and wounded soldiers, recommend the claims, of the, V.M.C.A. and Salvation Army to the' favourable consideration of the patriotic societies and the public." . The Hon. J. T. 'Paul seconded tho motion, which was carried.

(Proceeding.)