DEFENCE COMMITTEE AND R.S.A.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14287, 2 May 1917, Page 5

DEFENCE COMMITTEE AND R.S.A.

(To the Editor of the Herald.)

I Sir.-r— Witli your, kind permission may I- pen a lew._. words m opnuection with: tlio apparent- s plitting of straws" thai took pkee at the meeting of' the Citizeiis' Pefence , Committ-c-o o^er «, lettei from ;tho Gisborno : lileturned Soldiers'' Association. .PTh- 4 3 Aetier, it ■appeai^.-i asked^the patriotic society to donate (oj failing that t0... 10an) the sum of £100 to coy or. tho initial cofct of. staging' tin; ■'Follies CJompaiiy,!' whb wei-6 willin-i---to give 60 per cent <if. its proceeds, tci the Citizens' Defence Conimittee and tht other 50 ,por Q0n4,,t0 the. U.S.A. j m re- 1 payonent <i v r %« start - they asked for ' Instead of looking at the proposal fron: a business and helpful standpoint^ aiu'-" giving them -the. £100 as! -Mr Muim s- , gamely -fought -. for, thereby receiving; roughly three or four ..times ns. -imicl • m. return . before very longy they ignorc(or';,attempt to) tho U.S.A. m the. mat ■: ter, and .propose a miserly loa*n 0f £100. on ;the». condition that "the dhtoiiht :is..tt ; be th© first charge on -the* lproceeds o'tbe ( entertainment, to be paid tlirougl tlie E-.S.A. Now, sir, don't you think it would. hay« been a tar bitter .tiling for the Defence Committee; to -havi.. made . that < a Straight : out dona tion* ■ given. the -Follies, who are giving up:: ser much of their timo and working . so luu'i' to raise a handsome sum (of which thc>i .get a. big proportion), instead *of granting them a* loan after the usual lengtliy* arguments, and saddling the FollieV , with . £100 before they start ? Wheirop«i thinks over these small requests fi-Om our kith and kin, and when we know .that tlie .same committee io 1 bi-avely gave £50Q0, m "one hit," aoid; followed/ by a monthly subscription- of' £200, to .the Belgians- fund, gaining « great deal of "limelight" vih that -gift, whiich has now /amounted 1 to over! . £8000, it •is;tim<>t6on^'ethip'gPwas done and pressure >;wa"H -biwight to beau-. Knowing full, well the terrible distress*' iv Belgium at this timet, -and' the .needfor hug© eums.of .jiioney to relieve theirsufferingsj surely the Citizens' Defence. Committee-, could have ftiveu , £100 -to gain ea^- £400 .m tli. e /snd^to*wards theii: own fund to help' tho returned soldieis. of ' Poverty Bay. If they can haud ' Out' over £t3OOO to the. Belgian * fiuid,'i then; how imich more cotild tliey , have * given the Follies that. £100 to help them to, ; rEfise money for patriotic purposes mi our own town through the medium of the R.S. A. In conclusion ' I would ask . the gentlemen who "sit m council" where charity . begins ? — 1 am, eto:., 'VERY MIJCH.DIgaUSTED," .. vmaa^MlmAtimimHr'a**** A'