HELP FOR MEN AT FRONT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16025, 17 September 1915, Page 9

HELP FOR MEN AT FRONT.

PLAIN CALL TO DUTY.

MORE MONEY REQUIRED.

QUEEN CARNIVAL SCHEME.

CITIZENS' RESPONSIBILITY.

INDIVIDUAL SACRIFICES.

A speech remarkable for the plainspoken and vigorous terms in which it was couched was made yesterday afternoon by Mr. George Elliot, chairman of the executive of the Auckland Patriotic and War Relief Association, at the public meeting held at the Town Hall concert chamber to consider the proposal to hold a Queen Carnival in aid of the patriotic funds. The attendance though not large was very representative, and included several ladies. Mr. Elliot presided.

The chairman said the meeting had been called to consider the suggested carnival as a means of raising further funds for the benefit of the men at the front and their dependents. ■ The Patriotic Association had tried honestly, and had devoted a great amount of time in the effort, to collect a large amount. They . had raised something like £80,000. From i the Auckland Province 6000 men, includ- ! ing Maoris, had been sent to the front, ; and in order to be able to properly deal j with all claims the association wanted J more money. I "It is evident that we people of Auckj land do not recognise our responsibilities," declared Mr. Elliot. We are not making sacrifices. Otago has sent 3000 I men to the front, and only recently raised | £150,000. That divided amongst :ey | 2000 men works out at over £75 per man. | The £80,000 we have fought and striven j for in Auckland divided amongst our 6000 I men is only equal to about £13 per man. Do you think we have played the game? I don't. Do you think we have done our duty? I don't. God knows we have I not," he asserted with, considerable feel- | ing. " Out there at Gallipoli, on the ! shores of the /Egean Sea. there are the j graves of 1000 New Zealanders, while probably 5000 of our lads have been wounded. ! The Government cannot legislate for a I fair all-round deal for these men and ) their dependents. They can only provide I pensions. Probably half our men can do j without those pensions, but in the case I of the other half they will be no good to J them, because they will not be enough. ; Therefore the Patriotic Fund has got to j supply the difference between a l wage or allowance and the amount the j Government will provide. If Auckland ! were to subscribe on the same scale as | Otago the province would raise £450,000. Need for Individual Sacrifices.

" Auckland will never raise anything J until Aucklanders recognise their responsibilities," Mr. Elliott went on. "Can jwe who do not go to the front, for one I reason or another, expect the other fellow to go and do our job for us. unless Iwe can give him the assurance that his I dependents will be looked after IB case he is killed or maimed? (Applause and cries of "No.") This thing must come home to every indivdual if we are going to do any good at all. Each indivdual must sacrifice himself. Have you yet J bought one less hat, or one less suit, or one less drink, so that you could help to swell the funds? I have not. But I I have got to, if 1 do my duty.

Doty of the Man of Wealth. " There are a number of wealthy people in Auckland who have not done their duty. Probably they have not realised the position. If we suffered a great disaster—it is possible, and Germany, you know, claims that she is going to win— then would be the effect upon the man with money in Auckland? Such a disaster would not take half his profits from him, it would take half his capital. What man or firm in Auckland has given half his profits to the Patriotic Fund? Not one. I know of one concern in Auckland which made more than its capital of £40,000 last year. What has that firm given to the funds? Probably £200.

Extra Profit Because of the War. j " I know hundreds of men in Auckland whose incomes average £1000 per year. They are not spending it. Are they giving it to the funds? Have they given a fair proportion of the money they have been piling up year after year? No. They do not seem to realise that it is their duty. But they have got to realise it. We have tried our best, and have raised £80.000 double the amount that one firm made last year as the direct result of the war. Would you not have thought that firm would have given to the funds half the extra profit it made? But it gave £100 or £200, and thought it had done well. " It is absolutely apparent that none of us are doing what we ought to do? It is apparent and essential that we have got to do more.

Carnival Opponents Criticised. It appears that the proposed Queen Carnival is not in accordance with the ideas of some people," proceeded Air. Elliot. " That being so, I wish those people would come forward and tell us how to get the money we must have. We want to give our soldiers and their dependents who may need it bread and butter for the rest of their lives. The Queen Carnival may not be the right way to do it, but it is evidently the successful way, as proved by results in several cities and towns in the South. It has been proved that it appeals to the public. An objector in Wellington is said to have expressed the view that to hold these carnivals is like ' dancing on the graves of your friends.' That is silly. Even if it is dancing it is dancing to a good tune. (Applause.) We have got to dance for the benefit cf the men at the front. (Renewed applause.)

Course for Objectors to Adopt. " I respect any man with convictions, and I cannot lay down any hard and fast line for others. 1 know there are many people who object to carnivals. But for Heaven's sake don't let them hide behind .our carnival as a plea for withholding subscriptions. Let them give to the Patriotic Fund direct. (Loud applause.) There are men who say the Government should do this work, and that they will pay through the Government. I say the Government cannot do it, and it is simply tommy-rot to say they can. (laughter and applause.) The "Government cannot make a scale to suit every man needing assistance. To do that they would need to provide £3 per week in each case. The best they can do is to give about 25s per week. Is that going to keep a man and his family (Cries of " No.") To stand apart because of an objection to carnivals is not playing the game.

To Get Money the Great Object. " The idea, of a Queen Carnival may seem silly to some people," Mr. Elliot continued- "It may strike some as ' fiddling while Rome burns.' But what does that matter The great object is to get money, and if we can get it through a carnival, and if the people will not give it through any other channel, for heaven's sake let us have the carnival. (Loud applause.)

" Anv lady standing aj a Queen candidate will be doing a great service to her country. For any lady to'say, 'My position in society may be affected,' would be absurd. A woman in the highest ranks of society should feel highly honoured to be asked to become a candidate. (Applause.) Mr. Elliot then outlined some features of the carnival scheme. The following organisations and sections of the community would be asked to nominate Queen candidates:— Military— and National Reserve, " The Military Girl."

St. John Ambulance, including Red Cross, Victoria League, Girls' Realm, and kindred societies—"The Red Cross Girl." Combined Factories. Combined Wholesalers. Combined' Retailers. Commercial Travellers. Civil Service-

Tramways. Auckland Suburbs, comprising Parnell, Newmarket, Remuera, Grey Lynn, Ponsonby, Mount Albert, Mount Eden, Epsom, Onehunga, and Otahuhu—" The Suburban Girl."

North Shore, comprising Devonport, Northcote, Birkenhead, Takapuna—"The Waitemata Girl."

Commerce, comprising banks, law, insurance and professions. Combined Picture Theatres—" The Picture Girl."

Trade and Labour Unions. United Friendly Societies. Combined Sports. Licensed Victuallers. Goldfields, comprising Coromandel, Thames, and Ohinemuri. North Auckland, being the whole province north of Takapuna. South Auckland, including the whole of the province south of Otahuhu. Bay of Plenty, including Rotorua. Determination to Hold Raffles.

Every section nominating a candidate would have to work for that candidate, and in doing so would be working for the Empire. There was something pathetic about it. There would have to be floral fetes and raffles.

" Yes. raffles," repeated Mr. Elliot, " though good people may shake their heads and say the place is going to blazes. What does it matter There are too many forms and ceremonies in life- The great thing that does matter is money, and we have got to get it. (Applause.) All these sections of the community whom I have named must combine, and must make sacrifices. We are going to make the people with money make sacrifices and give us large sums. There are some who could give £10,000. " All who give will receive chips representing votes for their particular " Queen." By-and-bye we are going to have one large raffle," in connection with which the various societies and organisations will get for their " Queens" groups of tickets, the sale of which will count as votes, and they will sell them all round. The idea is a good one. We cannot get the necessary money by other means. Those who have got it will not give it. People here will not recognise their responsibilities. The men who have gone to the front have recognised tneirs, and those of us here who have not have got to."

Formation of Committees. Mr. Elliot went on to say that the ladies of Auckland had done magnificently. (Applause). By their labours thev were paving practically half the cost "of the Soldiers' Club. But that was only a small thing compared to all they had done.

An informal discussion of details of the scheme followed. At the suggestion of Mrs. Parkes, it was decided to request the presidents of the various women's organisations and societies to act as a committee for the "Red Cross Girl." Colonel G. W. S. Patterson consented to act in conjunction with the Officers' Club as a committee for the "Military Girl." Mr. Horace Stebbing promised assistance on behalf of the boy scouts: It was then decided that the executive of the Patriotic and War Relief Association should go into the matter of the appointment of committees for the remaining Queen candidates.

Various Points Discussed. In reply to questions, the chairman said the fact of the organiser of the carnival not being in Auckland was not inconvenient. The matter was absolutelv "plain sailing." There were to be 20 queens. He agreed that it might be well to drop the commercial travellers' Queen so that the former might work with the warehousemen. A Maori Queen, suggested by a lady present, might well be substituted. In referring incidentally to the- various organisations included in the list, Mr. Elliot mentioned the proposed "Picture Day." As regards the sports candidate, he said the racing clubs would be behind the other sports. Those clubs were making money, and would not be doing their duty unless they gave a great proportion of their profits to the men at Gallipoli an their de Pendents. Racing crabs I should remember that those men were defending the clubs* horses.

Trades Unions Doing Their * Duty. In connection with the trades unions, they were doing their duty, Mr. Elliot declared. Of the men at the front, probably 75 per cent, were workers. Out of one union alone, 450 men had gone, and by that union £1000 had been contributed to the patriotic funds. (Applause). The trades unions had not had a fair deal He had no sympathy with the men who laid down their ' tools and refused to make munitions. He had a good deal of sympathy, however, with the men at Home, whose employers were making £380,000 per year, instead of £80,000 in the previous year, whilst the men themselves received id an hour more .in wages. The friendly societies would do their duty, and the licensed victuallers would have to do it. The tramwavs men would have good opportunities of selling tickets to passengers in the cars. As the meeting dispersed, the names of those who had attended were taken at ths suggestion of Mr. Eliot Davis so that they might be available for committees.