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Evening Star, Issue 23508, 23 February 1940, Page 10

NO REDUCTION

RETURNED SOLDIERS' SUBSCRIPTIONS Two questions of policy effecting members of the Returned Soldiers’ Association—the introduction of postal ballots ami a move to reduce the subscriptions —were debated at a special meeting last night. The interest taken m these two proposals was indicated by the fact that about 250 members attended, and the result was that the motion to reduce the subscriptions was overwhelmingly defeated, but it was decided to have a postal ballot. Five delegates from country sub-as-sociations were in attendance, and it was pointed out that the reduction of subscriptions would reduce the sub-as-sociations’ working margins to a point where they would immediately be in financial difficulties. The motion, presented by Mr W. H.. Thomsan, was that the annual subscription for active members within a radius of 15 miles from the Chief Post Office, Dunedin, be reduced to 10s, and for active members outside this radius the subscription be reduced to 7s 6d. Only 29 voted lor the motion, and 237 against it. The proposer of the notice of motion for the amendment of the rules to provide for a postal ballot was Mr W. ,F. Forrester, and Mr J. M‘Crae introduced an amendment to the effect that it should not be compulsory for members to vote for the full committee. The amendment was lost by 68 votes to 148 after it had been pointed out that the result might be a danger of block voting. Other proposals involving the placing of the regimental number of candidates for executive positions on the voting papers and the abolition of the system placing asterisks on the papers to denote which were canditates of the previous executive, were not supported. The motion for the introduction of the postal ballot was carried,