PATRIOTIC FUNDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23507, 18 November 1939, Page 14

PATRIOTIC FUNDS

PROBLEM OF CONTROL i, ' J HAMILTON BODY'S REQUEST. HON. W. E. PARRY'S CONTENTION y [niojh our own correspondent] HAMILTON, Friday A reply has been received by the Hamilton Patriotic Executive to its request addressed to the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, that the Auckland provincial district, as constituted for the collection and administration of patriotic funds, be subdivided so that, subject to the general control provided by the regulations, the expenditure of funds raised in the South Auckland district bo vested in a committee consisting of locally-known people rather than in an authority, tho personnel of which was drawn from the whole province and in whom tho local contributors had not the same confidence. Minister's Attitude In his reply, the Minister stated that tho request would be referred to the National Patriotic Council. The Minister asked that further information bo given to enablo tho council to visualise exactly what form of local authority was suggested. Mr. Parry expressed his surprise that there should bo any question of the responso of any of tho people of Jsew Zealand to patriotic appeals being conditional on such a degree of purely local . control as was suggested by the Hamilton committee.

"After all, a soldier is a Now Zealand soldier, irrespective of the district in which ho may happen to reside," said Mr. Parry, "and in my opinion it is a reflection on our national sense that there should he any question of degrees of willingness to respond to his needs in a time of emergency.

Reply by Committee In accordance with tho Minister s request the Hamilton committee wroto to-day stating it has been unammously supportcd by the South Auckland zone executive in its desire that a new district should be set up, land that a further council to bo known as the South Auckland Patriotic Council be appointed to raise and control patriotic funds within the area comprising tho Raglan, Waipa, Waikato, Pmko, Otorohanga and Waitomo counties, the Hamilton, Huntly, Ngaruawahia, Cambridge, To Awamutu, Te Kuiti, Morrinsvillc and To A rob a boroughs, and the Otorohanga and Leamington town districts, the council to consist of the Mayors and chairmen of the local bodies named, with power to add to their numbers. It was stated that the population within the area mentioned exceeded 94,000, and that the people had little community of interest with Auckland. The Hamilton committee stated that it appreciated the point that the response to patriotic appeals should not ba conditioned by the question of the degree of local or central control. The fact remained, however, that, in many instances, it was so, and that to datelocal- efforts throughout the zone had not met with the enthusiastic response which the committee felt would be the case if the control were vested in people who were better known locally.