WELLINGTON'S EFFORT

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 93, 16 October 1940, Page 8

WELLINGTON'S EFFORT

START WITH ORGANISATION

PLAN OUTLINED

A general framework on which to organise adequately the part the Wellington metropolitan area is expected to play in the Dominion-wide campaign by the eleven provincial patriotic councils to raise £1,000,000 was created at a meeting of between 30 and 40 menJ and women held in the council cham- i ber, Town Hall, yesterday afternoon. The Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop), who presided, announced that the Wellington Province's quota was £200,000 and the objective of the Wellington metropolitan area had been set at. approximately half that sum. It was hoped that the metropolitan area would have raised £40.000 or £50.000 by the end of November. Mr. Hislop explained that instead of the national appeals conducted previously by the National Patriotic Fund Board and the appeals on a smaller scale by the provincial patriotic councils, the raising of funds for all patriotic purposes, including the provision of assistance for the relief of distress overseas, was now the function of the provincial councils, and all moneys collected in each province would go to the credit of each province's patriotic council. In addition to further calls that probably would be received from overseas, funds were needed to provide comforts for the men of the New Zealand forces overseas, also to cover requirements for the soldiers and Territorials in camp in New Zealand and for special purposes as suggested by the National Patriotic Fund Board. The moneys raised would be entirely under the control of each provincial council. Already, said the Mayor, a meeting had been held of representatives of districts outside the central area of the city, and they had been asked to organise their own districts to push forward the campaign. An organisation was now required to cover the wider activities of the whole of the city. EXECUTIVE APPOINTED. As a first step in this direction those present formed themselves into a general committee with power to add. Conveners for various groups, such as sports bodies, trade union movement, transport, women's bodies, etc., were then appointed to organise their respective sections, which are to have representation on-- an advisory committee. The meeting also appointed an executive, comprising the Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop), chairman, Messrs. E. E. Brooking, H. McCormick, Annand Smith, T. M. Donovan, N. Manthel, H. F. Wood, E. Palliser, F. R. Jones, L. Strachan, Eric A. Clark, W. A. Armour, and T. J. L. Tucker. Subsequently the executive met and Mr. Donovan was appointed deputy chairman. Already there was a variety of proposals for the raising of money, said Mr. Hislop. It was hoped to have a bands' display and other big outdoor events. In addition there would be art unions, for one of which the prize would be a house at Lower Hutt. The market value of the house and land would be about £2500. Recently an elderly lady had given him a beautiful silver antique tea and coffee service to dispose of in aid of the funds, and this probably would be the subject of an art union prize.

The Mayor added that the campaign was to open next Monday. A room for the purposes of the appeal in Wellington had been made available in the T. and G. Building, the telephone number being 46-837, and Messrs. Armstrong and Springhall had provided a typewriter for the handling of correspond ence. The idea was to conduct the appeal in two parts—the first up to the end of November, and then to resume again in January or February.