RETURNED SOLDIERS’ AFFAIRS

Evening Star, Issue 17706, 6 July 1921, Page 8

RETURNED SOLDIERS’ AFFAIRS

1 MEETI/NG OP EXECUTIVE. 1 1 The fortnightly meeting of the executive committee of tho Duuedin Returned Sol- ! diors’ Association was held last evening in the club, Moray place, those present being Dr T. Harrison (president), Messrs J. M’Rae, D. Colquhoun, T. W. M’Donald, , J. H. M'Nish, P. Anderson, C. G. Wili son, A. J. Foley, W. H. Wood, J. B. , Callan, and R. P Jones. Tho Chairman extended a welcome to ! the new secretary-manager of tho club (Mr A. C. Laing), who took up duty ou July , IOn tho recommendation of tho Nomi- ■ nations Committee three returned soldiers were admitted to membership. Eleven j transfers out and five in were approved. Messrs Joe Edwards and E. R. Smith were elected honorary members. FINANCE. The Finance Committee reported a credit balance of £979 11s 3d in the current account to date. Accounts were recommended for payment amounting to | £123 13s 2d, and club account amounting jto £2OB. The committee recommended that the amount due for rates (£IOO 8s . 9d) be allowed to stand over till the duo j date, December 21. It was recommended I that Mr A. MTTutcheon be appointed as treasurer to the association, vice Mr J. Smeaton, who had resigned. It was imperative that the Returned Soldiers’ Club (incorporated) be immediately wound up, i and an audited statement of receipts and payments from the date of the last balancesheet to the date of absorption prepared. It was also suggested that all monthly returns be com Meted not later than the seventh dav of the mouth succeeding ; that n statement of the number of financial members be reported to each meeting of the Finance Commit 1 ee; that a list bo prepared of -all unfinancinl members and laid nn the table at each meeting of the executive; that a monthlv audited statement- of receipts and expenditure be presented to tho executive not 'afev than (ho last meeti ing of the next fnlkw'iig month : and that I the presont svstom of card registration of i members ho supplemented by a register I of mcrrdipvs. i Colonel Colquhoun said he would like to draw -attention to the necessity of kccn- ; ing down as much as possible the adi ministrativo exocn-os of the association during (he rear. The nssocmßon was com- | milled to salari"? Wallum £1.064. oxclu- | five of I'm extra third ward annointed. ; infos £IOO, insurance £29. lc.a«e of ground £75. making -a total of £1.268. The Finance Committee would like to impress on the executive the necessity lor the utmost ; economy in the rwlmnnstration of the club j and the association. I The report was adnofrol. I CANTEEN FUNDS. Colonel M’Donald had given notice to move— That, the Canteen Board, which was ; recently set up by the Government, he requested to furnish this association with a duly .audited report- and balanceshoot of the receipts and expenditure connected with the canteen fund, which is estimated to amount to £BO.OOO, i i Permission havin' l ' been given by the meeting, , Colonel M'Donald amended his motion as follows: | That this meeting of the executive of : the Dunedin Returned .SV i '.s’ Asoeintmn requests the District Council of tho New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association to request from the Government a statement showing—(l) The sum actually handed over to the Canteen Board : (2) details of receipts from all sources of canteen profits; (5) details of all expenditure. if any, !;i) actually incurred, and (I)I pledged, and by whom so incurred or pledged: (4) details of the constitution and powers of the Canteen Board; (5' how much, if any, of the canteen funds arc actu illy in tho .State Treasury, and what rate of interest- is being paid on same ; i 6) how, and at what rate of interest, any funds not, in the State Treasury are- now placed ; also that the District Council take steps to obtain the cooperation of other district councils on the matter. | Tire mover said that anyone present at the last general meeting of members, which was well -attended, knew the strong feeling among returned soldiers regarding canteen finds. A considerable amount of comment and surprise had been expressed throughout the city Businessmen had expressed their astonishment to him that £BO,OOO was lying in tho country, and that i a resolution should be brought forward to give away the earnings of that- money to some external or extraneous affairs not connected witu the relief of distress among returned soldiers and their dependents, the purpose for which this money had been approved. He would like to inform them how this question had been approached in England. No ono there had pone so far as to state that a pound of that money—ten and a-quarter millions— - should be spent for any other purpose than that for which it accrued. Through not very careful handlin’' of this money, however, on the part of the people who had it in their possession, about two millions were loaned out to a society which had no funds and no assets. So far. there seemed to be no prospect of their getting back either the principal or tho interest. He mentioned this as a, note of warning that they must be very careful as to how they dealt with the canteen funds in Now Zea- ■ land Mr Wood, who seconded tho motion, said that, every soldier ono met in tho street wanted to know what was being done with tho canteen fund. ! Mr M’Nish said that thorn seemed to ; have been a “dodge” in connection with the funds. The motion had been slipped, through very quietly at the conference. ! Nothing was heard of it until the committee got to Wellington and sprang a surprise, camouflaging the issue with a statement about 80,000 soldiers and £1 per head. Tho motion was carried unanimously. CLUB AFFAIRS. Tho Club House Committee recommended that the charge for games of billiards be 9d and Is 6d for -half and ono hour’s use of a table respectively, in lieu of Is for 11)0 up. It was recommended that tho matter of the opening of tho dining room be held over in the meantime. -It was estimated that the complete furnishing of the room would cost £4O. In regard to the canteen in the lounge, the committee recommended that it be opened at once, and reported that it had arranged | for Mr J. Brown to consult with tho secretary regarding the furnishing. ’ Tho committee regretted that the executive, before making any appointment to the staff, did not consult it. and trusted that any further position would have its approval before the executive finally dealt with tho matter—The report was adopted. GENERAL. Mr M’Orao brought up the matter of tho appointment by the executive at the last meeting of an additional steward for the club. He moved to rescind the resolution, on the ground that the Chib House Committee had not been consulted, and that it was already committed to heavy expense.—The motion was fully discussed, and on being put to the meeting was 10-st. Mr Jones moved, and it was carried—- “ That a special benevolence committee be set up, consisting of Messrs M’Nish, the treasurer, and the mover, to consider cases of distress and apply the benevolent fund to urgent cases, it being distinctly understood that no amount over £2 per week to be applied to any ono case.” Mt M’Huteheo-n, the new treasurer, was appointed ono. of tho executive’s representatives on the Club House Committee.