PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16594, 18 January 1916, Page 2

PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION

MEETING OP EX.KCTDTCVE. j A moeting of tho ereontivo of the Otago J Patriotic Association was held in the Town j Hall yesterday, tlio Mfiyor (Mr J. J. dark) ' presiding. 'Hie resignation of Mr Wm. Emory was j received with regret. 1 Mr P. Shaw wrote as to a donation to the funds of tho association of half tho pro- 1 ceodn of tho fourth prize in tho Wanganui < Patriotic Sooioty'a art union.—To bo ac- < knowledged with thanks. _ j The Lady Lugard Belgian Hospitality ( Committee, England, wrote malting an ap- , peal for further financial assistance. —To bo informed that ail money transmitted was now being sent through tie High Commis- ( sioner. Tho treasurer's statement showed tho position of tho respective funds to bo as fol- ' lows: — Fund. Iloocipts. Expenditure. Balance. ; Unconditional £1,629 16 2 £1,534 3 9 £95 12 r> Great > Britain iiinl Ire- i liuid 6,163 16 6 6,653 9 0 610 7 6 Belgian Belief 59,651 16 8 17 11 4,600 18 9 Expeditionary 1,048 19 6 5,535 13 2 453 6 4 Ambulance 328 3 6 275 8 0 52 15 6 ; Serbian Belief 1,018 2l> 802 8 0 215 14 6 Poles Beliei 5 10 — 5 10 Wounded Soldiers' 17,852 1 5 / 97 07s 10 9 24 995 ls 10 Qneea f Carnival 104,223 6 2) Interest on deposit 1,026 7 10 — 1,028 7 10 Leather Waistcoats 369 3 10 366 8 10 2 15 0 Belgian Bed Cross 0 10 0 — 0 10 0 British Red Cross 22 0 3 — 22 0 3 Hospital Ship 16 17 0 — 16 17 0 Local B«Uef 8,223 10 8) 1Q 225 g u 62 6 3 Eeltmds 2,065 3 6 j ' Totals £206,643 15 6 £174,483 8 4 £32,160 7 2 Tho statement was received, and adopted on the motion of Mr G. L. Denniston, and it was resolved to forward £2000 for tho relief of the Belgians. The Public Appeal Committee reported that recently a sale of wool had been presented to the Serbian Relief Fund, tho condition being that it be sold and resold at the wool sale to be held on some future date, the buyer in each case returning it to the fund. The secretary had sent 2000 circular letters throughout Otago inviting sheep owners to support the movement. He had also sent letters to many of the sheepfarmers, asking them to give their assistance, and had already received several promises.— Received. The Management and Relief Committee's report contained nothing of importance, and was received. Tho Chairman of the Recruiting Committee reported as follows: —"I have to report, as anticipated in my last report to your executive, that tho Eleventh Reinforcements from Otago went away in December a very considerable number short, and even now, after the Twelfth Reinforcements have gone, we still have a shortage to make up for the Eleventh. The Twelfth left last week with a deficiency of about 10, but this was oaused by a few men not presenting themselves on the day of departure, and a few others pulling out a day or two before, thus leaving practically no time in which to get others to take their places. Others are going to-day for thus purpose, so that Otago will have sent its full quota in the Twelfth. So far as the Dunedin group is ooncerncd, we are supplying considerably over our quota on account of some of the country districts showing a shortage. The number enlisting since the holidays shows some improvement, but not very pronounced. Though the Twelfth went away practically complete, it was not brought about so; much by enlistments after the holidays, as it was by enlistments before them of men willing to go once tho holidays were over. We have been unable to do much work since Christmas, but have now got going again, though wo are awaiting the details of tho new schemo of tho Government. Should this scheme fail to gather the men in, then thero can be no doubt that oompulsion is the only other alternative." —Mr Stoneham, in moving tho adoption of the report, mentioned that they had sent away from tho Dunedin group quite a number more than the allotment for tho group. Some country districts had been short. —The Rev. F. G. Cumrning 'bore testimoney to the good conduct of members of the Twelfth Rein-

foroement while travelling.—Mr Stoneham said that the Twelfth had left with seven short, and when they got to Trent ham, they were 12 short, which suggested that five of the men must have used the reinforcements as a, means of getting to Christchurch or elsewhere.—The report was adopted. Tho following is the report of the Soldiers and Dependents' Welfare Committee: —"Since last report 30 further applications for assistance have been considered and finally dealt with, allowances amounting to a weekly payment of £12 15s 6d having been ma,dc to these applicants. To date 173 cases have been granted regular assistance, and these applicants are now receiving a total weekly allowance of £74 13s 3d, as well as other assistance, such as coal and groceries, the total amount of assistance given to date is £1645 5s lOd. The sum of £145 has been distributed among all tho cases of soldiers' dependents at present on the committee's books ny way of Christmas gifts, and many grateful acknowledgments of these amounts have been received. The letter from Mr 0 Bridgman re Walton-on-Thames Hospital, referred to the committee for report, was considered at a meeting held on Thursday,the 13th inst., and it was resolved that from information received wo report that the want has already been met by money remitted by the Governor and the sum of £1000 recently remitted by the association, and it is felt this should be sufficient p.t present. The committee was represented at Auckland on the arrival of the hospital ship Maheno by Mr A. F. Rattray, to whom great thanks are due for hie excellent services to tho returned men. This gentleman, with Mr R. W. Glendining, is doing 6plendid work in visiting the returned men in the Hospital and in attending to their wants there." The Mayor moved the adoption of the report, and paid a tribute to the manner in which those in the Defence Department did their utmost to assist in the efforts made on behalf of returned men and the_ dependents left behind. —Mr Solomon said he would like it to be widely known that they were preEared to deal with every case that could e brought forward. If there were cases not attended to it waa because they were not brought under the notice of the committee. At the present time the committee was expending about £5000 a year.—The Rev. F. G. Camming referred to a case mentioned in the Lawrence newspaper where a man and his -wife and children were said to have been dependent on charity. In December, 1914, that man and his family came upon the funds, and up to the present moment they had received at least £70. Further, the wife was still ;n rcceipt of a handsome allowance from the committee. These statements, if allowed to go unchallenged, might damage recruiting. —Mr Stoneham emphasised the necessity for those requiring assistance seeking out tho committee. —The report was adopted. The Mayor said that some time ago they had passed a resolution about getting tho association recognised. The other day a communication l.ad come from the Minister of Internal Affairs, who required a number of alterations made. Most of them were formal, but there were one or two he ' would like to bring before fhe meeting. He went on to refer to the necessity for an annual meeting, and tho report and balance sheet being submitted to subscribers. The Minister was evidently very anxious that there should be a limitation of the size of the executive, and ho (the Mayor) suggested 25 members,, with power to add to the number.—The matter was referred to the committee set up to consider the rales, it being understood that members of tho executive could havo a copy of the proposed rules sent them. PATRIOTIC FUNDS. A circular was received from tho Minister of Internal Affairs, pointing out that as the number of returned soldiers increased— some 3000 had already returned to New Zealand —it became imperatively necessary . that steps should be taken to organi.se, as far as possible, tho work of tho patriotic societies, in order that there might be no overlapping, and that the full necessities of the men might bo recognised. The Minister pointed out that in Great Britain a War Contingent Association had been established for the purpose of assisting the soldiers after their discharge: A great deal remained to bo done in New Zealand, and he ventured to direct the attention of all patriotic committees to the fact that the Wellington War Relief Association had adopted the following list of objects which no commended to other committees throughout the dominion:— . . . To erect and maintain homes, hospitals, or similar institutions for any of the purposes of the association, or to contribute by subsidies or otherwise to any such institution, and to raise funds for any such purpose, or devote part of its funds to any such j purpose. I Xlms Minister continued that it appeared

to him most <iesimi>le that a conference ahowid be oallod of Patriotic Committees, at ■wiooh deiinito linos of organisation and administration should bo faid down, and a system of intercommunication established hj wbioh overlapping may be prevented. A;s Minister entrusted with tho administration o£ "Tho War Kuncl3 Act, 1915," ho had no desiro to interfere in any way witii tie Patriotic Committees in their administration. Ho would therefore suggest that if tho proposals herein made were agreed to tho Patriotic Committers should entrust bim with tho responsibility of merely calling such a conference at a date that would be convenient. . . . Beyond calling tho oonferonoo together ho proposed to take no part in it unless requested by tho conference.

The Mayor slid it wns his personal opinion that they had quito enough conferences for some timo. —(' 'Hcq.r, hear.") Those conferences had proved abortive, and a waste of time and money.—("Hear, hear.") Mr Mitchell asked what had become of Mr Skerrctt's scheme. He said he understood that Mr Skerrett was to come to Dunodin to address them on the subject. The Mayor replied that he understood that Mr Skerrett had abandoned the wholo scheme. Ho (tho Mayor) did not consider that there was any overlapping. A conference oould not make them realise their responsibilities more than they were doing at the present time. Tho Hon. J. T. Paul said he had had tho honour of representing tho Dunedin Soldiers' Welfare and Dependents' Committee at a previous oonferonoo in Wellington, and ho was quito in accord with the Mayor that this proposed conference could servo no good purpose. On tho last occasion they had met they had only two hours and a-half to discuss important proposals of which they had no previous knowledge. Tho point which .appealed to him was that there could bo no discussion, or a decision arrived at, without & decision on the points under discussion being arrived at so far as their own locality was oonoerned. Mr ' Roberts said that tho provision for the organisation and maintenance of homes, hospitals, and other similar institutions should bo made by the Government. ("Hear, hear.") He proposed bringing before the War Committee the feeling of tho association, that it did not approve of any proportion of its funds being devoted to the objects enumerated above. —("Hear, hear.") The Mayor, in reply to a request by Mr Roberts for a definite ruling on the point, said the question had been discussed informally at a meeting of the Soldiers' Welfare and Dependents' Committee, and it was the unanimous opinion that the funds that had been raised by voluntary subscription should not be spent in maintaining or equipping theso hospitals—that that duty was essentially one for tho Government. That was the feeling of the committee, and the feeling of the wholo association. Mr Solomon, speaking as a member of the Soldiers' Welfare and Dependents' Committer. feaid the committee was of ono opinion that tho time was absolutely premature for a oonference of the Government. It the Government, however, wished tho association to meet them on a concrete question, then the committee would be satisfied to be represented. ' Under tho existing circumstances he thought it would bo absurd to go to a general oonference, and, eo far as the Soldiers' Committee was ooncemed, they were not going. Mr Paul said that according to its showing the Government must be considered to bo responsible for tho organisation and maintenance of the hospitals, etc. It seemed to him that the Government was pretending to take the responsibility, but in reality it was seeking to push the responsibility on to someone else. After further discussion it was decided that the time was inopportune for a conference, and that in the opinion of the association funds subscribed by the public should not be used for the erection and maintena.nca of homes, hospital's, or other similar institutions under the oontrol of the Government.