PATRIOTIC FUNDS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 429, 7 August 1915, Page 4

PATRIOTIC FUNDS.

A correspondent, whose letter we publish to-day, is probably represenratives of a number who are anxious to see the collection, and administr.a tion oi' our various patriotic funds placed upon some definite organised i basis, anti who are possibly withholding subscriptions until they have I some fair assurance of the objects ;?nd methods of application. Various <•<inferences have been held, but as i et no definite scheme has been adopted, and anyone who gives tim subject thought will recognise that the devising of an entirely satisfactory system is not altogether easy. Three bases of of operation seem to be open ti) A national pooling of funds for the Dominion, amounts subscribed for specific objects being IRept distinct : (2) a like pooling of tin* funds, but confined to the respective military areas ol which there are four in which the.v are collected ; and <:’> purely )>>< al administrai ion. .The last may. w e think, be dismissed as both selfish and impracticable of <quitiible ;:p--p|icatiint. The nationalisation <>t the funds rill probably lie the scheme which will appeal to most, so as to .admit, of the spreading <>! the bene- * jits I'airlv among all who have suffered in tiie national cause, irrespec; li'.c altogether ol the locality of [origin. Against this, however., is {advanced the objection of tinweildiim ss and difficulty of administration I from a single more nr less centralisied executive, and v. e understand lilial in Hauke’s Bay tlitre is an in■rlinntion l»» advocate the miiifary

district scheme. On this point, how-evr-r.'t here has not as yet boon aux 11( tinit i • deci-mii. .".ml th<- - < t r» still open for dismission, , r ind sngges lion. Whether the rmiional or th--nnlil.iry tn-rtt scheme is adopted, we iin'dersi and that it is proposed that there -dioulil 'ic sei up <ae following series of committees: -f- ; >•? 1. a General Committee <'f bx-al delegates. with ti. general supervision and dii-ection of the schmae. ami with power to appoint / ,!l ' other commitlr es. Second, a Central In ; a i stiiion! <'iXiiniittt’’'. w 1 !! see to the safe and profitable investment of the fund Third, a Central Exo< u 1 ive ( ommitie'e. whose Inm--tion it v. ill be to adjust the. cont rihut ion.t from the various districts, and to formulate a standard scale of relief, adjusted to ihe capacity oi tlie fund, but to which then- will not necessarily be rigid adherence, emit individual case being considered on it ; own peculiar cireumsl ances and merits. To lids committee would be co!rusted the final allotment of relief. Fourth. Local Committees, whose duty it would !■<• to make preliminary iiuestigation <>i claims ami submit recommendations i<> the Centre.! i’.xecut iv- Committee, and who would also I-..-- entrusted v itli fluids for emergency relief, 'flu-e are. v.a- boliete. broadly ihe propo-aL- t hat are uiider discussion. 11 wit! I.e r.-f'di!) seen I hat. there will |,p a coiisidvralile body <>f detail to till in. more ( -special]). perhaps, wi,l, reference to tin- appointment or election of delegateto Um General Committee, .'ithl with regal'd to the pt-TSt-nm-l of itm Executive Committee. This article is Lomg written somewhat .liiirriod.ly, _ moi-.-v jt li a view to endeavmiring to ar..use interest, than to make simgeiion. but we hope to return to t a sulijeet at an early date after furi'her < misideration of thL proposals tliai Imve been made. In the meantime. I host' who are desirous of making donations max address them to tin- se'-ret.-0,-. (Jh. A. Fraser) ~f i|.r existing Patriotic Committee, v.i-'.i iitll imnfidenee Hint thei' wi/in-s will lie fill!.' safeguarded and tlie funds is i a med until a satisf.-ir-t..rv scheme ha:- been <h'-i isod.

Tnr. Russian position cent initcs io be the mu' absorbing topic in connection with the wrp-. and ii remains still in quite a suifieiently doubt till slme to occasion a certain amminl of uneasiness. In t lie most northern section a Lite Petrograd uiess.-ige vesicrday told ns ihnt the Aivhiiishop of Riga and his .-leTgx had left 1 ht't town whose importance was emphasised in ihe mues wr quoted yesterday and that fight ing was going <m <mlv ten miles io ilic south'of it. An overnight message, however, advises tis lli-.i the enemy lias ret ;-'--| 1I hili i icdlv tn :i pos.lhm abciii thirty miles iroui Higa. Ihe immediate cause of Hus v. itlidrav. al is ma suggesied, hut it certaini) lends to ridiev-.-. to some cxlem. the aiixictv caused l>.v siu-n close pii xirnitv t“ a pcsilion ol such ttppareni naval and military importance. On the oilier hand, in overnigln messages, tin- Germans claim ami the Russians admit :in enemy i a«!ivat’<l iklv-iiicc in tlie Kovno pro-xiin-e. and to-day we have a Imiher Gorman message declaring' thai tlie Russians li.-tvo aliamloimd tlie town of Ixovno. which is stiiiated on jlie i-'dlwav line running from Konigsborg and jnneticnir* w illt ilm iT-tro-gnid-Viina-Vi arsaw main liiie, whose control is ihe first objective of tlrn Geimmi operations in this quarter. Tim message, does not. he. wo ver. indic'ite that this Hu--i-'ii movement bits been compelled by immediate pressure, but. at the s-ime time, it (ioes not help to reduce concern witti regard to the railway which is of : ticl: moiiicnt in connection with the Russian scheme of retreat. On the Na row fimit. where any major enemy success might gravely endanger the retreat from "Warsaw, the Germans have brought, up strong reinfotcements, and heavy fighting is going on piear Ost row, not very far from the Bug. which liver the Germans are also endeavouring to cross near its junction with the Vistula. The withdrawal from Warsaw does not seem to have been encumbered by any attack from the west, and so far as can be judged from the somewhat conflicting messages the Russians are not in any very great danger in South-east Poland, although Beilin reports Von Mackensen as "pursuing” them. The situation is at the best sufficiently uncertain to make us rejoice that the retreat is under such skilful guidance as that of the Grand Duke Nicholas, who has already proved himself to be a safe commander under very similar cemdilions.

In the West the most active fighting is io be found towards the right sect ion <>l the Allied lines, in the Vosges and in Alsace-Lorraine, and although our Ally there is able to report a number of minor successes, nothing appears to be happening that has any immediate and definite bearing on the general struggle. Doubtless, however, in the aggregate the gains made are such as will tel! in the end. I rorn fialy we continue to get news of an assuring character .and we may, we think, dismiss the Austrian version alleging an Italian repulse with great slaughter. Vienna news has all along been notoriously untrustworthy. The only message from the Dardanelles says that no striking incident has occurred since the beginning of this month, activity being eontined in the artillery and aircraft. General Godlev is evidently. desirous of keeping us impressed with the necessity for keeping up a steady st)c,)m of reinforcements. French ship.-: are busy near Smyrna bom-bM-lling tlm Turkish coastal positions