TRAVIS TRUST INCOME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22141, 21 June 1935, Page 13

TRAVIS TRUST INCOME

EMPLOYMENT OF FUNDS CANCER CAMPAIGN'S NEEDS COMMENT BY PRESIDENT [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] WELLINGTON, Thursday A reference to the Travis bequest for cancer and tuberculosis research was made by Dr. J. S. Elliott, president of the New Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society (incorporated) as a result of the Press Association message from Christchurch yesterday reporting an application in the Supremo Court by a trustee of the estate for permission to spend £1753 from the estate on a building belonging to the estate.

Dr. Elliott said that since the formation of the New Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society tho society had been at intervals in negotiation with the Travis trustees, of whom there were originally three, although now only one remained. " Our objective," ho said, " has been to get tho Travis trustees to provide as much money as possible for cancer research and treatment in New Zealand, the scope for this being greater than can be met by charitable contributions from the public. All that the Travis bequest has done for cancer is to provide a certain amount of material for the X-ray and radium department of the Christchurch Hospital and also by far the most important, £SOO or £6OO a year for a physicist, engaged by the Cancer Campaign Society for work throughout New Zealand." The Travis bequest was established for the investigation and the treatment of cancer and also tuberculosis. The terms of the request made it clear that it was a Dominion bequest, but there was apparently a tendency to restrict the so far very limited activities of the bequest to Christchurch or Canterbury, said Dr. Elliott. The trustee was bound in the terms of the trust to avoid any provincial feeling and it would be reasonable that the two vacancies in the trusteeship should be filled by nominees from other places in New Zealand. Tho question of the discharge of tho trust had come before the Court in Christchurch a year or two ago. About a month ago an application was sent from the head office of the New Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society to Mr. Pearce, the Travis trustee, urging him to contribute handsomely from the Travis trust to tho King's Jubilee gift for cancer research, but so far he had not replied. Seeing that the present large sum of £IO,OOO was lying idle as a surplus of income from the trust, it would surely not be unreasonable that half of this surplus should be transferred to the King's Jubilee gift fund. It was embarrassing for the Cancer Campaign Society to have to point out to the public the urgent need of donations to the cancer fund when at the same time the trustee of the Travis bequest suggested by his inactivity that there 'nas no clamant call for the funds of the Travis trust.