PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION

Evening Star, Issue 18052, 21 August 1922, Page 6

PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION

MR. SAP GOOD'S GRANT. DIVIDED BETWEEN R.S.A. AND Y..M.C.A. Tho quarterly meeting of tho Executive Committee, of tho Otago Patriotic and General "Welfare Association was held this morning. Mr J. J. Clark (vice-president). took tho chair, and the others present wero Messrs D. E. Theomin. C. Speight, R. W. Glcndining, .7. L. Salmond, E. C. Hazlett, J. B. Shaddock, James Bepg, J. T. Pan!, J. Ixjndon, and E. R. Grace ('secretary). TREASURER’S REPORT. The report of tho Iron, treasurer (Mr G. A. Lewin) showed that tho total receipts to date amounted to £322,071 Is lid; the receipts since last meeting wore £2 os to the uncoudtional fund and £1,119 7s Gd to the wounded soldiers’ fund ; the outgo since last meeting £482 17s, made up of £22 17s from the unconditional fund and £460 from tho wounded soldiers’ fund. 'The Chairman said that the Women’s Association fund was apparently in credit £1,358 17s 9d. That was the balance in hand about two years ago. The Women’s Association handed it to iho Patriotic Association to be used for the .specific purpose of assisting men in hospital or otherwise. That work had been don? by the Soldiers’ Welfare Committee, which financed it and did. not draw on tho women’s money, but had spent a sum considerably greater than the £1.358. As the money had been spent there was nc need to iet it stand longer as a credit. The suggestion was agreed to, and the report adopted. SOLDIERS AND DEPENDENTS.

The chairman submitted the report and statement of accounts of the Soldiers and Dependents’ Welfare Committee for the quarter ended 31st July. It showed receipts amounting to ‘£1,673 Is 9d, and a credit balance of £2lO 3s Id. In moving the adoption of the report tho Chairman said it ■showed that there was still need for the activities of tho association. Cases wero continually coming forward of discharged men who had repatriated themselves and had now broken down under the war strain, and were unable to obtain pensions or assistance from the War Department owing to the long time that had elapsed. The association had carried on such men. As to hospital comforts, negotiations had been going on for some time with tho Red Cross Society, and the committee was hopeful of 'being able to report at next meeting .that satisfactory arrangements had been made by which the Red Cross Society would undertake at least a portion of that special work. 'Die committee did not expect to be relieved of the whole burden, hut the Red Cross was willing to do its share. During the quarter_ the committee had spent £Bl odd jn giving comforts to soldiers in hospital. Air Glendining seconded the motion, and it was carried. MR SARGOOD’S GRANT. The Chairman moved the adoption of tho report of the combined meeting of the Finance Committee and tho Soldiers and Dependents’ Welfare Committee. The members of the combined committees collected information and personally visited tho Y.M.O.A, and tho Returned Soldiers’ Club, Both those institutions wore doing _ extremely good work, and the combined committees found it difficult to put down a true estimate of what vvna beiim done. particularly by tho Y.MdC.A.. which had acted ns the guide, philosopher, and friend of many men, and taken them in and helped to restore them to a, normal state. The R.S.A. was also doing good work, specially with tho unemployed and assisting men who wandered_ about, and none were allowed to go without a meal. The committee felt that it would be in the. (rue spirit of Mr Snrgood’s grant not to uso it for the ordinary purposes of the association, hut to disburse the proceeds in helping tho outside organisations to carry on. This had been referred to tho War Funds Council, and tho opinion expressed was that the association was at liberty to make donations to the associations named, and to any other upon being satisfied that they were actually assisting in the work for which the Patriotic Association was formed. The committee believed that the Y.M.O.A. and the R.S.A. were doing equally good work, and the recommendation was that the six months’ interest now in hand (£125) he paid to Hu* Y.M.0.A.. and that for the next twelve months the grant ho divided equally between tho R.S.A. and tho Y.M.O.A. , , Mr Speight seconded the motion for the adoption of the report and tho recommendation.

Mr Thecunin said that Sir George Fenwick and himself had received a letter from Mr Sarpood and were nt first in doubt as to whether the recommendation of the committees would ho carrying out Mr Sarpood 1 s desires in lerru'rd "to the T 250 a year; hut after lienrincc what tho committees said and going into the, facts and discussing tho matter, Sir George Fenwick and himhad arrived at the conclusion that they would he perfectly justified in consenting., and that Mr Sarpood would approve of the step proposed to ho taken. Tie therefore supported tho motion. Th motion was carried.