PATRIOTIC COMMITTEE.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13929, 11 July 1917, Page 1

PATRIOTIC COMMITTEE.

MEETING OP EXECUTIVE. Tlio adjourned mooting of tlio executive of tlio North Otago Committal) was hold at the Borough Council Chambers yesterday afternoon. In the nbscnco of the chairman, Mr. James Mitchell was voted to the chair. - There were present; Mossrs B, T. Oats, W, G. Grave, M, Little, E, S. Brewster, J, Taylor, R, Milligan, W. Nicolson, Y. T. Sliand, ,T. Falconer, H. Newton, D, Williams, J. M. Forrester, S. Crow, and the secretary (Mr C. W. Kent). Dr Douglas wroto resigning his position on tlio committee and tlio resignation was accepted with regrot, Mr E. A, Bulkeley was appointed to the vacant seat.

A letter was recoivod from the Pukeuri Patriotic Committee stating that they could not undertake the appeal in their district on behalf of funds for the Salvation Army war work. The letter was referred to the executve committee which is managing the appeal.

At the meeting of the committee held last week it was reported that contributions were being solicited in North Otago on behalf of a scheme originating in Dunedin for the purpose of raising a sum of £200,000 for the benefit .of soldiers and their dependants, It was pointed out that the North Otago Patriotic Committee together with the North Otago Soldiers' Aid Association was responsible for tlio soldiers from this district and their dependants, and that any collection of funds in North Otago that would bo administered by a Dunedin organisation must be regarded as an encroachment on the preserves of the local patriotic organisations, Tt was therefore resolved thai the soi-re-larv write to Mr ,1. A, Johnstone, from whom the proposal emanated, pointing out the attitude of the committee to any such solicitation of funds from North Otago, The secretary accordingly wrote to Mr Johnstone as follows, and the reply to the letter, which is also given below was read at yesterday's meet-'

ing:— '' Dear Sir—At a meeting of the executive of tho North Otago Patriotic [Committee held to-day, it was stated that a proposal from yourself is now being acted upon to raise a sum of at least £200,000 for the benefit of soldiers and their dependants. The executive has accepted the whole liability for North Otago 011 account of 'active' soldiers' dependants, while the North Otago Soldiers' Fund Trustees have accepted a similar liability on behalf of returned soldiers and their dependants, You will therefore see that any canvass made in North Otago must nccossarily projudico any appeal made by ourselves for the same objects; and as we arc responsible for tlie North Otago men, we naturally feel that any funds collected in tho North Otago military area should be handed over to my executive for administration. It is obvious that two separato canvasses in the same district must prove unsatisfactory and mutually destructive to the object which both societies have at heart. My executive therefore trusts that you will leave North Otago untouched; as it is, and lias beon for some time past, its intention to make a special effort on behalf of the North Otajo men and dependants which your society is also socking to Borvo."

To the above letter Mr Johnstone, (is chairman of tlio Public Appoal Commit" mittee, repliod as follows: "Dear Sir,—Yours of tlio 4th instant to hand and contents duly noted, In reply, I havo merely to say that no general appeal has been made to residents in your district for assistance in the effort that wo are now making to augment the Otago Soldiers' and Dopendants' Fund. The writer has invitod a few of his oldest personal friends in the Oamaru district to send him contributions if they aro in sympathy with the movement, and should they respond, I shall of course accept their gifts."

A letter was read from the secretary of the Red Cross Society which had been addressed to his Worship the Mayor asking him, in conjunction with the Patriotic Committee to arrange a meeting of the relatives of soldiers on active service, for the purpose oi social intercourse and an exchange of news, and the Mayor had handed the letter to the secretary of the Patriotic Committeo, The letter was the outcoino of a suggestion from the Internal Affairs Department that the Red Cross Society should arrange a meeting, but tlio society felt that the matter more properly'came within tlio scope of tlio Patriotic Committee's functions. While recognising the suggestion as a good one the meeting decided to defer the matter for consideration at a later meeting.

The chairman then pointed out the veal object of tlic meeting which was to determine the committee's attitude with regard to daims for assistance oh behalf of soldiers and their dependants. Tito rocent .conference of members of the committee with the trustees of the North Otago Soldiers' Aid Association had resolved that the Soldiers' Aid Fund Trustees' could only deal with cases of sick and wounded soldiers and their dependants and that all other claims should bo a charge on the Patriotic Committco subject to the Govtrnmcnt's scheme of financial assistance for soldiers and dependants, The chairman said that if the Patriotic Committee was to meet all the claims at present in hand the funds of the'committee would soon bo depleted and it would be necessary to make an appeal to the public for funds. The matter for the committee to decide was whether the claims should be accepted by the committee and if so, what means should be adopted to raise. the funds that [would be necessary to meet present and [ future demands. The chairman also snid that the general funds of the committee liad needed replenishment for a considerable time but appeals for fundi

for spoeille purposes had interfered with any appeal being made by the, Patriotic Committeo for goneral funds, i Some discussion ensued as to the committee's obligations with regard to certain applications for assistance which were before tlio meeting', and as to ways and means of meeting claims on the Patriotic Fund. .Eventually Mr 11. Newton moved and Mr E. Milligan seconded the following motion, which" was carried:

"That in view of numerous applications received aud anticipated for relief of distress occasioned by the war which do not come within the class of cases which should bo relieved either by the Government or the North Otago Soldiers' Aid Association, and in view of the small amount at the disposal of this committee, for general purposes, it is resolved that stops be taken to replenish the North Otago Patriotic Committee's general fund." The matter of meeting cases of immediate urgent necessity was then considered, and it was suggested that .s the Soldiers' Aid Trustees had all the organisation necessary for receiving and dealing with such applications and that as the majority of applications were madPto that organisation, the secretary should be asked to receive and investigate claims made on the Patriotic Committee and that the committee undertake to ratify all amounts paid out on their account by the Soldiers' .fid Trustees,

Somo objections to, that course were raised by those who thought that no amounts should be paid out on account of the Patriotic Committee until the committee had time to examine the details of tlio investigations of the claims, Tt was eventually agreed on the motion of Mr Milligan that a sub-committeo bo appointed to consider all claims at present in Ihe hands of the committee and to grant such temporary assistance as was deemed necessary in cases of urgency and that, the sub-committee also consider the general question of grants for assistance,

The sub-committee at present acting, on behalf of the executive in the matter of applications for assistance, which consisted of Messrs W. 11, Frith, C. H. Swinard, and Jas. Mitchell, was strengthened by the inclusion of the following gentlemen: Messrs Forrester, D. Williams (Waitaki) and E, S. Brewster (Awamoko), and these were given authority to act on behalf of the executive in conjunction with the Soldiers' Aid Trustees, The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chair,