PATRIOTIC COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 February 1943, Page 3

PATRIOTIC COUNCIL

PROVINCIAL MEETING

The first meeting of the year of the Westland Provincial Patriotic Council was held at Greymouth last evening. The chair was occupied by Mr A. R. Elcock (Mayor of Hokitika). There were also present Mrs F. W. Shalleiass, and Messrs K. O. May, F. A. Kitchingham, F. H. Denton, L W • Greens Jade, J. A. Murdoch, W. Clayton, T. E. Coates, T. G. Jamieson, M. Houston, and D. J. Evans (Secretary). The financial statement disclosed a revenue of £592/8/3 for December, including £l7O/1/- from the Greymouth Committee, £92/9/2 from the Grey County Committee, £O3/9/4 from the Runanga Committee, £4O from the Inangahua County Committee, £26/6/5 from the Hokitika Committee, N.Z. Railways staff £2B 9/11, Dr. van der Plas £5. For January revenue totalled £541/16/7, including £328/15/10 from the Greymouth Committee, £39/8/5 from the Hokitika Committee, £37/10/3 from the Westland Caledonian Society, £35 from Butler Bros., Ltd., and employees and Ruutapu residents, and £2B/6/1 from the N.Z. Railways staff. Payments for December totalled £1092/9/11 and for January £391/0/7. Deuosits at banks, etc., totalled £24,786/5/5 and current account £498/6/3. The particulars of the revised levy for 1942-43. with the amount paid to January 31 in parentheses, are as follow: r Jnangahua County £l4BB/2/- ( £127/1/4); Grey County £2,334/2/8 (£223/1677); Westland County,, £2,484/4/8 (£247/0/1); Greymouth Borough, £4,166/17/- (£1,261/7/-; Brunner Borough, £468 (£5/17/6); Runanga Borough, £548/15/8 (£224 15/11); Kumara Borough, £129/4/- < ); Ross Borough, £139/12/(£B3/15/6); Hokitika Borough, £1,241/2/- (£458/18/6); interest on deposits, — (£120); National Board. (£1); N.Z. Railways stnfy, £ll3/6/6. Total, £13,000 ( £2.866/18/11). Mr Kitchingham reported that the Committee had mapped out a programme in Greymouth, including raffling a section. A gigantic fair was mooted, while the shop days would be continued, bringing in fresh

groups; to assist. He would like to see more co-operation between the Greyrnoutb, Runanga and Stunner Boroughs, and the Grey County. Last year interest seemed, to lag in the County, and he had hoped better results all round would accrue from greater co-operation. To Mrs Shallcrass, Mr Evans said it was definitely laid down that silk stockings must not be raffled. It was decided to invite the R.S.A. to appoint a delegate to the Council. The National Patriotic Fund Board. Wellington, wrote explaining that if taxpayers assigned interest on Government securities to the war funds and donated the interest to the Government by written authority such interest would not be assessable as income. Donations to the funds were not free of income tax, and statements to the contrary were incorrect. The Board also- advised that a Government contribution of £340,500 towards 8500 prisoner of war parcels had reduced the total levy by that

amount. ' PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN j Explaining the publicity campaign I for 1943, the Board advised that it I would involve fortnightly appeals, stressing sectional contributions. Twenty-six uniform street appeals should bring in a large sum, particularly if linked with simultaneous Press advertisements on a national I scale. ( Mr Houston stated that in Hokitika it was proposed to continue the methods employed last year. He " thought that the money proposed to be spent on advertising could be saved.

Mr Eicock added that that was definitely the feeding in Hokitika. IL, fortnightly appeals were made the collectors would be hounded off me streets.” Mr Greenslade did not favour _ a national campaign, but advertising to suit the district as the occasion demanded. Mr May thought it would oe a crime to spend big sums for this obect from moneys collected for soldiers.! It was decided to take no action on provincial lines. A further letter from the Board explained that post-war assistance to returned men would be given in tne respective districts in which they were domiciled notwithstanding the area from which they enlisted might be different. Thus Provincial Councils would not be required to assist former residents then living in other areas, thereby avoiding the building up oi the cumbersome filing system in tne Patriotic Society in the last war. In view of the fact that the Kurneva Branch of the Red Cross was not represented, the Council again held over a letter received at the previous meeting' from Kuinara, in which the branch recorded its disapproval of principal committees making up shortages of those committees who failed "to achieve their quotas. The Letter had been held over in -December to enable the branch to explain the purport of the communication. GREYMOUTH’S CAMPAIGN

Permission has been received from the Department of Internal Affairs for the raffling of the section in Bidgood Street, donated by Miss W. Perotti. Over 26 perches in extent, it is a dry section looking the full length of Josephine Street. Mr G. rShallcrass has been appointed secretary in connection with the raffle, in association with Mr F. M. pennehy, and will be issuing books immediately. In connection with the annual curect appeal for contributions, collectors will commence a drive in the business area of Greymouth from February 14,. the town having been divided into blocks. J , The meeting winch was to nave been held last Monday night in connection with formulating schemes of raising Greymouth’s quota will now be betel next Monday evening .in the Town Hall, at 8 o’clock.