PATRIOTIC FUNDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23545, 4 January 1940, Page 6

PATRIOTIC FUNDS

NEW APPEAL URGED LOCAL ORGANISATION DONATION OF £SOO OFFERED In a letter to the Herald, Mr. g J. Butcher, "Rockside," Gillies writes: —I have read with great interest your article in Wednesday's explaining in detail'what you consider • is the main reason for the failure the public response to the Patrioti o Fund. ''■ I was not in New Zealand when wap was declared and- in consequence waj not fully aware of what took p] acg when it was proposed to again create a Patriotic Fund .as was done during the last war. Since my return to Auckland I have heard numerous reasons why the public response to the fund is so disappointing, but after reading your article the matter has become only too plain to Recollections of -1914 I have vividX. recollections of the wonderful spontaneous response of the public during the last war, when people of all creeds and political views did everything humanly possible to help the boys at the front. The women's organisations, controlled entirely bjr themselves, were also an inspiration to everyone to get" behind the effort. What a different state of affairs we find to-day when .organisations of all kinds are compelled to work under a set of rigid Government regulations that, to say the least of it,' are very; difficult to understand. I know that the Auckland Patriotid Council has now been given some mea- : sure of discretion both in the collection and disposal of moneys, but that is not enough to satisfy a public that de« mands the right to do something for> its soldiers in its own waj T without the feeling that it is simply paying another tax. Local Organisations I quite agree that the only means oj restoring public confidence is for tho Government to withdraw its regulations and allow the various local organisations to take the matter in hand and make the same outstanding success of the fund as was achieved during the last war. > This course will have to be followed sooner or later, for there is something in the British nature that demands freedom of action and abhors rules and regulations, when an appeal is made to patriotism; Like most other members of the public I want to assist how and when my patriotism makes its own appeal to me and as soon as that right and privilege has been restored to the public I will be pleased to head the new list with the sum of £SOO.

DOMINION TOTAL ~] £250 FROM LORD GAIiWiiB I ONE FAMILY GIVES £2300 | AUCKLAND GIFT TO NAVY 1 [bt telegraph —PRESS, association! | WELLINGTON, Wednesday | Donations received recently by the | National Patriotic Fund Board i« | Wellington swell considerably amounts | previously acknowledged, the total fot, | general patriotic, purposes being now; | nearly £7OOO. These donations are | separate and apart and in addition to ; contributions received by the board through the patriotic seal campaign. The list contains some substantial | contributions from provincial patriotic! councils, business firms and individuals. =. The Governor-General, Viscount Gal-, I way, has forwarded a donation of g £250, the Union Steam Ship Company/'| of New Zealand, Limited, has. sent a g cheque for £IOOO, and the National | Bank of New Zealand, Limited a !j cheque for £250. Several business firms js have given £IOO each, and Sir JBarry ; KBatterbee, High Commissioner for the 1| United Kingdom in New Zealand, has given £25. I A notable contribution is that by; | the Todd family, of Wellington. Mr.: | and Mrs. Charles Todd have given f £IOOO, and eight other members of I ■ their family have given between them i.. £I3OO, making a total contribution of £2300. In addition to general donations, a - : contribution" oi £SOO has been received from the Auckland Provincial Patriotic ft Council for the ( New Zealand Division [ I of the Koval Navy in recognition of the i gallant part played by the Achilles iq J the naval action against the Germaui |1 pocket battleship Admiral Graf Speo. | SEAL CAMPAIGN LARGE MAIL RECEIVED jj, 50,000 LETTERS TO OPEN I [by telecraph—press association] ; | "WELLINGTON, Wednesday When the . office of the National I Patriotic Fund Board in Wellington! I opened to-day after the holidays it r&t jt ceived four large bags, of mail froii* f the post office containing on a rougW r estimate approximately ] 6,000 replied | from subscribers in all parts of thd [■< Dominion to the seal campaign inaugu* Ij rated by the board to raise money tQi |/l provide comforts for the armed forceil ' and the mercantile marine. These letters, which were held dur< ing the holidays by the postal authorw ties under instructions from the secrM ; tary of the'board, have been added the large volume of replies received id j the week before the office closed fo? | tho holidays. It is difficult to raaka || any accurato estimate of the number! from the tightly packed bundles, but there are 50,000 letters at "least wait* ;j ing to bo opened. A start is to be ! made with the work at the beginning ;j of next week. Although time was !|| short between the inauguration of the jjc campaign and tho intervention of the holiday period, the response by the ; ■! public was good. Appreciation-of this has already beeni expressed and reference also has beerf ? j made by officers of tho national patriotic fund organisation to another gratifying feature, the fact that niantf people sent more than the value of the seals and others ordered further .. j supplies. '• .