OTAGO PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17576, 18 March 1919, Page 9

OTAGO PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION

MEETING OF EXECUTIVE. The monthly meeting; of the executwe of the Otago Patriotic and General Welfare Association was held yesterday. The Mayor (Mr J. J. Claris) presided, and there were also present Messrs G. Fenwick, J. L. Salmond,, R. Conn, J. M'George, M. M'Allen, R. W. Glendining, G, A. Lewin, F. G. Cumming, &. Solomon, K..0, Dγ Eukoa; »nd the Bev. Father Ooffey. „_ finance. ifce financial report showed that the total receipts to date were £307,121 lla 3d, and expenditure einoe last meeting was 11s. The total expenditure -was i«295,599 19a, of which the largest amount ehown was a earn of £165,740 15s 6d in connection with the Soldiers and Dependents' Fund, £90,000 of which had been invested in Government debentures. Of the monthly expenditure the largest item was a sum of £10,014 to tho mercantile marine sailors. SCHQLABSHIPS. The Secretary of the Otago and Southland Women's Patriotic Association wrote, with, regard to the Trentham Scholarship Fund, that although in sympathy with any scheme which would provodo scholarships for soldiers, the committee of the association considered that it was the duty of the Government to see that such a necessary scheme was carried out and money provided from State funds and not by private effort.—The letter was received. OIPT GOODS. A letter was received from tile Department of Internal Affairs with regard to the forwarding of gift goods and parcels for t?^ l^ S ,> ov ? rseaa ' that Headquarters, N.A.&.U , London, had advised that further gitte and Ived Cross parcels should not be sent, as there was sufficient in hand and w™ l ? Headquarters, IN./SJiJr., Cairo, had also advised that future requirements for gifts would be purchased locally from canteen and regimental funds. In view of this, General Kobm suggested that goods en route to porta or in the hands of natriotic societies should be forwarded as a final shipment, and the Department of Internal Affairs advised.It was further suggested that goods in hand and unsuitable for shipment should be distributed by the societies for the use of local military oamps and hospitals, railage charges bemg undertaken by the Internal Affairs Department, on receipt of application.—Noted.

HtWTI IHOWAKOBB. .In moving the adoption of the report of the Soldiers and Dependents' Welfare Committee, the Mayor said that during the month over £1000 was given to retarned men to help them in various ways, and the usual comforts were supplied to soldiere in hospital. Something over £50 a month •was now being given for the latter. The fk P ° r 2Lj wed * fcle ***%? nu mber of cases that had now to be considered. The mufti allowance waa also a large item, and even ?7m'wf^M h i?) h t Qov «?™eirt was doing, £770 19s 6d had been distributed in thfe direction. A BtrOrinjf thing to be noticed was that very few cases "were absolutely turned down. Only three cases -were eh ? wn r ™, th ? 01 * to have been declined out_of 251 that came up for consideration. Both committees that were dealing with soldiers and dependente were doing all in to help those concerned Mr M Allen, m seconding the motion, said ih&t it was rumoured amongst returned soldiers that some men obtained mufti allowances without any trouble whatever, while others, of apparently quite as long and The speaker thooght that aU returned sot diers were m the same category, and should be treated similarly Mayor said ihst afl retaraed men amid not be treated in exactly the same •way. Ihere were men who had hadto gxve all their pay while in the army to support while others, not so burdened, accumulated sums tf money while abroad which should enable thenTto pay for their own moftL Mr ?" f^ omon **** tl»t aU men who the oommittee were not treated in the same way, and to do so would be » ro^f ■ Buch *"* hin g were done there would be no need for the Soldiers'. Committee. _ The funds were given to be distributed amongst soldiers in need of them, .and the oommittee looked into every case to see whether the soldier was or was not in reasonable need of. the assistance he applied for An, endeavour was made to give every soldier what he asked for. Everv soldier was given the benefit of the doubt and a great deal more, It was only when men asked for assistance and the committee was absolutely satisfied that they did not need it that the request was refused. -Of m cases dealt with in one month, only ttLree were sent away without- assistance. The whole matter waa dealt with differently now from when the wax was on. Men were now dealt with more generously since it was known how things stood, and what were the present and prospective financial needs and r wurces of the association. It was thought that ©very man was entitled to some assistance. But there were cases of men who approached the committee for mufti allowance, and a few words with whom elicited the fact that they had no dependente, and consequently had 33 a day banking up for them during their absence. man without dependents could if he were fit, earn his living, in. civil life, and would have, in addition, the earn accumulated from bis allotment during his abseiwe. If he were unfit to work, he would get a pension. This being the : case it might not always be fair to trive a man money for clothes, since, as the speaker had shown, he might very oiten be m a position to purchase them himself, and the money not expended on him might be devoted to a really necessitious case. In justice to the returned men, how. ever, Mr Solomon continued, he would like to say that more than 90 per cent of them were very modest in their requests, and no attempt was made by the vast majority to exploit the funds. To show that the committee treated the men generously Mr Solomon cited the case of a University student, of poor parents, who was unable financially to continue his studies on his return from the war. He wanted to be a dentist, and asked for £100 a year for four years to study for this profession. Tho ■speaker oommunicated with the War Fund Committee, which offered a bursary of £50 a year, and this snm the Soldiers' Committee subsidised to brine; it up to £100, so that the. young man was ablo to continue'his studies. EXECUTIVE 11 HiK'i'iKqa. Mr Solomonj speaking to a proposal that tho meetings of the executive should in future be held quarterly, spoke strongly of the failure of many members to attend meetings. . v Mr M*AHen endorsed these remarks, and expressed the opinion that persistent nonattenders ehonld resign in favour of others who would take an active interest in tho work of the assiciation. The Mayor suggested that the membership of the executive, at present 2S, might be reduced to, say, 12. He pointed out, however, that the matter was one for a notice of motion. The matter was not proceeded with. . GENERAL. Mr Fenwick pointed out that some of the funds shown in the balance sheet appeared to be stationary, and asked if anything wsa known of the necessity for such funds. The Mayor said that the funds were being held pending Government instructions. The next meeting will be held prior. to the annual meeting, in May. The exact date will bo fixed later. .