ONE PROVINCIAL FUND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16040, 5 October 1915, Page 5

ONE PROVINCIAL FUND.

CAMPAIGN COMMENCED.

ROTORUA COMES IN FIRST.

APPEAL MADE FOR RECRUITS.

fBT TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPONDENT.]

Rotor Monday. With the object of amalgamating the many patriotic funds existing in the Auckland military district, the Mayor of Auckland, Mr. J. H. Gunson, as president of the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association, yesterday visited Rotorua and commenced a tour of the main provincial centres. Under the scheme outlined by Mr. Gunson, the Auckland military district will possess one fund, into which all moneys collected for patriotic purposes throughout that area will be paid. The tour, which will probablv be of three or four weeks' duration, "has the further objects of arousing public interest in the appeal for a patriotic fund of £250,000, and stimulating recruiting. In the latter connection, the Mayor had been approached by the Auckland" Defence Office, and asked to place the position in regard to recruiting before the meetings he addressed. *' At present," wrote Major H. Duigan to Mr. Gunson, " the registration returns in this district show a shortage of 1300 men for the November reinforcements, but, as the quotas to be supplied by the Auckland district are not definitely made up until 14 days before the men are despatched to camp, it is difficult to say the exact numbers that will be required from this district. At least 1300 will be required in November, and at present we have only 200 men waiting to proceed with the se reinforcements." Major Duigan arranged that the Mayor should be provided with enlistment cards to be handed to intending recruits, and by them forwarded to the officers commanding the various recruiting centres. Accompanying the Mayor were two members of the Platform Committee of the Patriotic War Relief Association, the Hon. George Fowlds and Mr. W. A. Beddoe, Canadian Trade Commissioner. Rotorua Residents Interested. Close on 100 people attended the initial meeting of the tour at Rotorua last night. The chair was taken by Mr. W. Hill, resident officer, and chairman of the local Patriotic Committee. The occasion was also that of the annual meeting of the association which, since the war started, has raised a total sum of £1093 and disbursed half that sum. "We are visiting Rotorua and other centres in the Auckland Province on a matter of common interest," said Mr. Gunson, who was greeted with applause. "We have come neither as supplicants ' nor bestowers. Owing to conditions prevailing we have been thrown together in a manner without precedent, and the interests of the cause which to-night we represent are as much yours as ours. Therefore we are one .with you." (Applause). Mr. Gunson proceeded to deal with the business side of his visit to Rotorua. He explained, first, the present position of the Patriotic and War Relief Association, and second, what it was proposed to accomplish under a provincial scheme. There were three lines of policy, he said, which the patriotic committees of the province must face. Firstly, they might all continue as separate patriotic organisations and administer their own. small local funds. This, he thought, would be eminently unsatisfactory and would not ensure returning men just those benefits by way of extra concessions which were desired for them. The second alternative was the adoption of a provincial scheme, whereby all the patriotic funds of this district would be amalgamated and the various provincial committees would have the administration of relief in their respective centres, subject to the control of the executive of the War Relief Association. The moneys raised for patriotic purposes would really belong to one parent organisation, the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association, and the various branches would administer their business and draw on the Auckland reserves in the same manner as any branch- of a business. The other alternative was a national scheme, which, in his opinion, was decidedly premature.

"Independent Districts Mean Chaos." In urging Rotorua to affirm the desirability of provincial unfication of patriotic funds Mr. Gunson . contended that if each district continued to work independent of any agreed system the result would be chaos. Co-operation would result in uniformity. There would be no overlapping, and every soldier in the Auckland military district would be assured of assistance, irrespective of the wealth of the district in which he resided. (Applause.) Mr. Gunson quoted the agreement which the Rotorua Association was ashed to sign. It was provided that on amalgamation the Rotorua Committee should pay to the treasurer of the Patriotic and War Relief Association all money held bv it, and all future collections. The committee would appoint its own chairman and officers. The district over which it had control was to be Rotorua and East Taupo, with a population of nearly 4000. The chairman of the committee, or his nominee, was ex officio a member of the General Committee of the Patriotic and War Relief Association.

Basis of Agreement. The agreement proceeded : "The committee shall undertake and carry out an active canvass of the district, and organise and execute means of raising funds therein for the furtherance of the objects of the association, and shall remit all moneys obtained to the treasurer of the association. _ Subject to the control of i the association executive, the committee I shall deal with all the applications for assistance of wounded and invalided soldiers and their dependants, and the dependants of thogj killed or dying on service who have enlisted from their district, but no case not arising within the district shall be dealt with by the committee. The association shall provide the committee with the necessary funds for the purposes hereof as may be required from time to time." The committee is required to furnish monthly reports to the secretary of the association, snowing all the operations of the committee, with details of receipts and disbursements, and the secretary of the association, in turn, forwards to the committee copies of all similar reports received by him from other provincial committees. Power is given to the association, if it desires, to affiliate with a national federation of patriotic associations, or to obtain incorporation under the provisions of the War Funds Act, 1915. The chairman then moved a resolution empowering the Rotorua Committee to sign the agreement. The motion was seconded by Mr. H. S. W. King, chairman of the Rotorua County Council, and adopted unanimously. Appeal by Hon. George Fowlds. Dealing with the need for a large patriotic fund, the Hon. George Fowlds remarked that people had declared that the Government should provide all that was required. " The Government has already provided liberal pensions, but any Government scheme must of necessity be rigid. If it were not rigid then the State would be robbed. This fund is required to deal with special cases requiring help beyond the amount provided by the Government, and for this work local contributions and local committees alone meet the case." In the course of an address, received with enthusiasm, Mr. W. A. Beddoe spoke of the sentiment which inspired the erection of costly monuments. " You also can raise a monument that shall keep in re- i membrance, not only your sons and your brothers, but yourselves, by the fidelity with which you discharge your obligations to the dependants of the honoured dead and to those who are wounded. If you live up to the measure of your responsibilities, both they and you will be remembered." To-morrow the party will visit Cambridge, and speak there in the evening.