UNDISCRIMINATING CHARITY.

Northland Age, Volume 21, Issue 16, 31 July 1922, Page 5

UNDISCRIMINATING CHARITY.

At the present time efforts are being made to raise money in New Zealand for the relief of people in Russia. Speakers are travelling around the country lecturing, and by the recital of harrowing details are parting thousands from a - little of their hard earned cash.

At the same time, as the result and the aftermath of the strenuous financial stringency we haVe here hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people in our own country who are unemployed. And there are many in our midst (not in the North, fortunately) who are almost starving. Many of those who are returned soldiers, or their dependents.

So peculiar is human nature that despite the knowledge of v what is written in the above paragraph there are people who will give money to starving Russians, and glory in seeing their names flourishing in newspaper subscription lists, who will not give a penny piece towards the relief of the starving soldiers who helped to preserve their w'ealth for-them. And this applies right throughout the Empire. The country pays measly pensions to its returned soldiers, whilst money has rolled into the coffers of those who stayed at home. Right here we may say that we always look with a great deal of suspicion on some of these big funds raised for various charitable concerns. Connected with them are almost invariably people who are angling for notoriety, and whose reward is either (perhaps) undeserved kudos or (as in the Old Country) the bestowal of honours. Then there are those who connect themselves, leechlike, with these movements for the sake of emolument, in some shape or form. Drawing fat salaries from various War Funds were, or are, men who should have been at the Front.

So far as these Russian Relief Funds are concerned one of the big London dailies pointed out, a few months ago, that whilst millions in Russia were said to be starving the Russian Legation or Embassy in London was run at enormous expense. The members of the Legation had sixteen motor cars of the most costly make, whilst everything else was on a similar scale. What guarantee, in any case, have we that the money subscribed will be used for the right purpose when (if) it reaches Russia ?

We do not wish our remarks above to be taken as an out and out condemnation of charitable collections for places outside New Zealand —that would be parochial —but we advise people to be careful when silver-tongued orators try to gain their sympathy. Look around and see if there are not more deserving cases at home. But with all the emphasis at our command we say that the man who sends monejr out of the country, whilst there are starving returned soldiers and dependents at his door, is unpatriotic. There are, unfortunately, many who were only too glad to have the protection of these men a few years ago who now turn their heads the other way when they see the hand outstretched for assistance. Which shall it be ? Assistance for our own disabled and starving, or for distant Russia ? In the great scheme of nature even starving

millions count for little, but economically we shall find it better to feed our own than send our money we know not where.