Employment of Patriotic Funds

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 49, 27 February 1943, Page 3

Employment of Patriotic Funds

PUBLIC MIND NOT CLEAR ON USES ' Discussing the employment of patriotic funds at a meeting of the Zone Patriotic Committee in Feilding on Thursday evening, several members claimed that the general public was far from being clear on the subject and this situation was attributed to a hick of publicity. The point made was that the piiblic was familiar with Church Army huts, Y.M.C.A. huts and other amenities provided for the troops and the fact that emphasis was laid on the names of the expending agents and not on the National Patriotic Council, created a state of mind which accepted the expending agents as being the bodies responsible for the amenities. In camps, both in New Zealand and overseas, it was stated, Y.M.C.A. huts were clearly identified but there was little to show that these huts were provided by the National Patriotic Fund Council out of moneys subscribed by the general public of New Zealand. Mr. L. G. P. Mahoney (Mangaweka) brought the matter before the notice of the meeting, and Mr. D. Brooks (Foxton) cited the case of stationery used by the troops which was branded Y.M.C.A. very clearly, while in very small type above the red triangle were the words “National Patriotic Council.” In emphasising the expending agents, namely, the Y.M.C.A., Salvation Army, Church Army organisation and other bodies, a wrong impression was gathered by the public in that through lack of publicity it understood that these bodies wore doing the job, whereas it was the National Patriotic Fund Council and the various Provincial Patriotic Councils. Mr. Brooks suggested that all buildings provided for the recreation of the troops should be readily identified as being provided out of patriotic funds subscribed by the general public. This should apply to all amenities provided out of patriotic funds. Mr. C. H. Tate (secretary) stated that the National Patriotic Fund Board was now tackling this question and he agreed that there was a great deal in what the speakers had said. The several bodies named were merely expending agents on behalf of the Board and the important thing in the public mind was not the expending agents but the fact that the amenities were provided out of the funds which the public subscribed.