DEFENCE COMMITTEE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15365, 9 November 1920, Page 9

DEFENCE COMMITTEE.

i The monthly -meeting of the Citizens' Defence Commit'tc' Hv.ts h^ld- yesterday i afternoon, 'at- *':ic- ' iJordugh Council Jharrib**-!:*., Mr. V.'. G.- L"hcrratt. prc-iding over eti attendance coiiiin-lsing Messrs J. 3. Ercadhur:: •H. il. DeCosta. A. 11. V.'aliis, •G- Wildish, G. E. Darton, D. W. Coleman, CJ. VV. Humphreys, and c. A. , Pen wick. ! A letter was -received from the IJedera- r tion of New Zealand Patriotic War! .Re-:. . lief Societies Advisory Board, stating that „! in regard to blinded soldiers a number , •of societies had : expressed their unwillingness to contribute to the Blinded Soldiers* f , Fund suggested by the Advisory Board, | land that the whole question was recbn- { r.lde'red-'at' the recent conference of dele- \ gates. A resolution approving of -.tite'j fund was declared carried 07 H votes; to ; 7. Owing 1 " to such a division of opinion j amongst ,the delegates, lurthcr progress must* depend upon • the support whiclij." societies may, decide to give to the fund... A reply, therefore, to the following" (jiics- ■■: tions was asked for: (1) Wili your society! contribute its quota to the fund of £10,- ■ ooo? (2) In the event of some societies!. declining to contribute, will yoiir society • still support the fund and contribute its > quota, together with an. additional,! amount to meet your share of the de- ' flciency caused by the 'failure of some ■' societies : to contribute? (3) In the event of some societies. declining to contribute will youi- society" still support, a fund 1 of a. smaller amount, to be contributed to pro rata, only by those societies who; may expiress their approval? When the' replies have been received the Advisory Board will consider whether it is feasible to establish a fund on the lines of the resolution passed by the conference, or one of a similar character but for a smaller amount. Dealing with the first question, v the chairman said they, had already agreed to conform with the proposal. Speaking on the second question, he said he considered it too vague. ' It" might be that the society might, be the only, one that did not pull out, /and would be called upon to pay the whole amount of £10,000. Members considered that tho society should stick to the population basis. The chairman then advanced the third query, and remarked that this would apparently involve no further expenditure than that, originally agreed to, namely £195. "'-.■'' Mr. Wildish said, that- the.^ bigger centres had pulled out of the .scheme, and it. was not possible to say what the society might be ,jpalled on io pay. .The chairman thought they should agree to tontribute its quota to the £10,000 fund on' the basis of the original scheme. lie moved to that effect. Mr. Humphreys seconded the motion, and commented that the answer would really apply to all df the questions. Mr. DeCosta mentioned that while at the Advisory Board conference he bad; asked of Mr. Clutha Mackenzie what the blinded soldiers thought of the Government treatment of t-hfem. He, had received the reply that the soldiers were thoroughly satisfied. Married men were receiving . £5 and single men £4 per woek. '.. .*...":: ' „' . It was decided to- carry and apply the chairman's motion as .in answer 'io the flrst question, and to; answer in tho negative to the other questions. ' An application for a loan of £100 for. the -purpose of assisting in the purcihj.se of a house and land at Auckland was received, from •n returned soldier from' the Gisborne district who had lost a legi during his service abroad — It was dc-; cided to grant the loan, the case being, considered one in- which -confidence could be placed in the. applicant. A grant of £36 was 'made towards the' medical expenses of an applicant- who had enlisted froni. Napier, but whose application had been refused b'y the Napier War Relief Society, a donation of £10" ■having been offered. It was mentioned that the Waiapu County Society had agreed to pay half of the expense,, amounting to £46. .' An -accouipt. of £17 for travelling ex- 1 penses of the committee's . delegate to 1 the Advisory Board conference, was passed for payment. The Cook Hospital Board's account for £11 12s 6d for soldier patients' extras was also passed for payment, together with an account of £G for hooks" and papers supplied to ; soldier-: patients for the six months ending December. 1920: