PATRIOTIC COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24506, 15 January 1941, Page 8

PATRIOTIC COUNCIL

MEETING OF EXECUTIVE; GENEROUS PUBLIC RESPONSE TOTAL OF £IBO,OOO RAISED A'meeting of the executive of the Otago Provincial Patriotic Council was held yesterday afternoon and was attended by the Mayor. Mr A. H. Allen (in the chair), and Messrs W. G Kindley W. Begg. J.'.'W. Smeaton J. W. Dove. J. Sutherland Ross, James Hogg. J. L. Salmond. Arthur Barnett, Edgar Hazlett, J. J. Marlow, J. M. White, J. R. Copland (Clutha zone), John Bennetts (Tuapeka zone) and James Ritchie (Vincent zone). Finance Committee Mr Hazlett. chairman of the Finance Committee, recommended that accounts amounting to £l7l be passed for payment. The principal item, he said, was £97 to provide sports equipment at the camps at Forbury Park and Wingatui. The recommendation was approved. Mr Hazlett stated that a wonderful transformation had been made at the old Garrison Hall to provide accommodation for the Services Welcome Club. He thought they were under a debt of gratitude to Mr Love and his men for their voluntary work in reconstructing j the premises. The work had cost the , council nothing. ; At a. later stage ot the meeting the Mayor referred to the equipment, etc M which had been provided bv the. Mayoress's Committee for the club, also free-of. cost ..... Illuminating Figures The Mayor said that up to date the general fund, which included the London Distress Fund, showed a credit of £50.179. so that they would see that the fund was being steadily built up. The Red Cross and St. John joint appeal had raised £60,000, and the Queen Carnival Fund, which had not yet been completed, showed a credit of between £60.000 and £65.000 There was over £BOOO in credit In the Spitfire appeal, Mr Alien said, and altogether they had raised fully £IBI,OOO since they had started operations as a patriotic organisation. They should therefore feel, grateful to the'public of , Otaga for the liberal way it had supported them. He felt sure, the Mayor added, that «s further appeals were made—and they would arise—they would get the same satisfactory response. Sheepowners' Offer Mr Marlow moved in accordance with notice, "That the resolution of July 30, reading as follows: 'That the national secretary be advised that this council adheres to the decision of the Patriotic Council's Conference in May: that all future appeals for money be made through the provincial councils' be rescinded to conform with the resolution passed at last meeting." The Sheepowners' Association, Mr Marlow said, had made an offer to raise funds for the assistance of men injured in the mercantile marine. The asso-, ciationhad raised funds for this purpose during the last war. A previous' decision was on the lines that all ap-! peals for money should be madei through the various provincial councils, but his. motion would enable the Sheepowners' Association to raise funds irrespective of the provincial councils. '• The motion was carried without disFinancial Assistance Mr White' moved that a previous, resolution of the council be altered by adding the words "except in very special circumstances." The resolution! would then read:,." That, except in very' special circumstances, financial assistance be not granted to men on leave, and that such., applicants be advised that the Patriotic Council's obligationto individual soldiers does not commence until they are discharged from the forces." The motion was carried without discussion.

Soldiers Returning to New Zealand ; Mr Smeaton submitted the report of | the Soldiers' Emergency Committee.: He,said that an immediate grant ofj £5 was made to returned .men who: were wounded or sick, and were dis-J charged in Wellington as soon as pos- j sible. They were given four weeks' leave i by the army authorities and four weeks'! army pay and credited with £7 10s on; the reiurn of their army outfit. Until the recnrHc came-back from the base camps it was impossible to have a final \ settlement in regard to these men, and j to his mind it was impossible for them to rehabilitate themselves in the four weeks allowed. There was a period • between their discharge from the army and the time when they were able tc settle down, and look after themselves. He thought it was the duty of the, Patriotic Council to look after the men during that period, and he was satisfied that further grants would be necessary. The council would have to decide on its policy and how far it would go in granting immediate help to these men. Mr Marlow held that the Council should implement what the Government was doing. It should take the responsibility of seeing that the men and their dependents did not want. If the position were brought under the notice of the Minister of Defence he would probably take some action in the matter. Mr White said that the Social Security Department was supposed to look after the men at the end of the month's period of leave. It was supposed to provide them with employment, but in many cases the men were not fit for work. Some sort of business committee was required to place the men in employment, but he thought it was beyond the province of the Patriotic Council. Mr Marlow said il could be taken for granted that the council would not see the men want. It was decided to leave the.matter to the Soldiers' Emergency Committee to deal with applications for assistance. Services Welcome Club It was decided that the facilities of the Services Welcome Club could not be extended to members of the Home Guard. London Distress Fund The Mayor, said that the appeal for the London Distress Fund had been running on for some time and with very encouraging results. The chief question was how long this fund was to run. Was it to run on indefinitely or until the closing of the appeal by the national organisation? If it was to continue, their general fund would suffer. He thought that they should resume their normal activities in February. Mr Allen said that they had now exceeded their pro rata quota for the London Distress Fund on the basis of the Dominion contribution. It was decided to close this appeal at the end of February. The Spitfire appeal, it should be mentioned, has been set at a figure of £II,OOO, and it closes at the end of this month.