MERGER OPPOSED

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 May 1946, Page 2

MERGER OPPOSED

CANTEEN AND PATRIOTIC

FUNDS DISCUSSION BY N.Z.R.S.A. (P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 31. . The future of the National Patriotic Fund and the Canteen Fund was considered by the annual conference of the N.Z.R.S.A. The recommendations adopted were: “That the funds now held by the provincial patriotic councils remain with them; that a central fund be established; that the constitutions of the provincial patriotic councils be reconsidered on a uniform basis; and that such provide for at least onethird official representation of the R.S.A. and Home Servicemen’s Association and that a uniform constitution shall include the setting up in provincial councils of welfare committees of five members, three of whom shall be ex-servicemen’s representatives.” It was also decided that as all moneys received by the National Patriotic Fund Board originally formed (and should remain) a central pool for expenditure on a national basis for the benefit of service personnel, both during and after the war, it is logical to assume that any such surplus money and realisations from the board’s assets should now be dealt with on a national basis and from this fund. It was considered logical and advisable to have a central organisation holding these funds as a reservoir to which provincial patriotic councils could apply for funds. The ..board., personnel should consist of 16 ‘members representative of the various interests concerned, the term of office of the board to be not more than three years. It was considered that there should be no amalgamation of the Canteen Fund and the National Patriotic Fund, but the Canteen Fund should bo placed in charge of a Canteen Fund Board on the same principles as applied in the 1914-18 war, with the exception that for this new canteen • fund the expending agents should be the. N.Z.R.S.A. and the New Zealand Home Servicemen’s Association. The Canteen Fund Board should comprise three members of the N.Z.R.S.A. (preferably World War II men) and three members of the New Zealand Home Servicemen’s Association.