EARS CLOSE TO THE GROUND.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5360, 18 February 1916, Page 5

EARS CLOSE TO THE GROUND.

THE PATRIOTIC FUNDS

, Electric r©legrat>l>—Press Associai 'on. Wellington. This Day. | At the Conference of the patriotic societies at Wellington yesterday. Air Rogers asked the Minister for Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Rue- , sell) whether the Government would ( carry out what the conference resolved upon. Mr Bussell said that, he could not undertake that tile Govern, me-nt would cany out all th© conference's recommendations: but. by means of the conference, the f?o----vernment wished to get. through tit© patriotic societies, the opinions of the people of the country. When they got those opinions, the conference could rest assured that the Government would give them very careful Joousideration. and the Government had their ears sufficiently close to th© ground to carry out the ascertained wishes of the people. (Applause and laughter.) “I had hoped.” said the Minister of Internal Affairs,, at the Conference of Patriotic Societies yesterday, “to have been able to lay before von a clear statement of the ptarioti© funds raised in New Zealand —how they are invested, the. interest they are earning, and the amounts expeuded to date on behalf of soldi©?* aivl their dependents Return? were asked for in accordance with S<ction 10 of the War Funds Act both in November and January Many of the societies have forwarded the information asked for. hut a large number have neglected to do so. T may remind trustees of patriotic funds that under the War Funds Act ample powers are given to enforce flip supply of the information that has been asked for. and this information will certainly he reouired later in the year to lay before Parliament.”