PATRIOTIC FUNDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16547, 22 November 1915, Page 2

PATRIOTIC FUNDS.

QUESTION OF CONTROL.

NATIONAL SCHEME FAVOURED

(Fbom Odb Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, November 20

The conference of representatives of patriotic societies held here yesterday threatened at one stage to be the most ineffective and useless meeting imaginable. This waa at the stage when the Minister of Internal Affairs withdrew from it after having submitted on behalf of the Government a series of more or less indefinite schemes for drawing upon the funds of the societies. When any questions of detail were raised the Minister, using an old meaningless phrase, stifled the talk by suggesting that the conference should merely " affirm the principle," leaving the details for the societies to consider. Most of the questions raised, however, are questions in which details are everything. The general purposes of the patriotic funds and patriotic societies are well enough understood already. The conference went on " affirming principles" at a frantic pace for three hours or so, refusing only to agree to the mcrre outrageous schemes disclosed by which the Government sought to evade responsibility and to loot the funds, but at the end of it all nothing was achieved. There was some talk about " definition of responsibility," but there was no actual definition. When it -was all over every member present must have come to the conclusion that he had better advise his society to keep its <puTse strings tightly tied. They were suspicious of the Government and Mr Russell. After that part of the meeting was over, however, the delegates arranged another conference of their own to discuss organisation and administration. Demands are being made on patriotic societies now to supply money for tobacco, blankets, .and all manner of things, and very little is heard of the real object for 'which these patriotic funds were raised—that of giving relief to soldiers and their dependents. Mr Russell offered no word of advice about this. He wanted money for half a dozen other objects. The delegates set to discussing the big task facing every society—that of affording relief to every necessitous case that came • within its knowledge. The discussion proved one thing at least—that sotae national scheme of control of these funds is the only practicable method-. The wiser delegates admitted this, but, knowing that their societies would not accept it, went about to suggest makeshifts. The makeshift generally agreed upon is a very fair one, but it may not be accepted by the units. The Ashburton delegates were apprehensive about the absorption of the Ashburton funds in the big fund for the Canterburydistrict, and the Southland delegates would not hear of the absorption of their moneys into the Otago treasury. By a process of exhaustion of all the schemes conceivable it will in the end be proved, even to the parochial people, that the national scheme must come.