STREET APPEALS REFUSED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19376, 14 July 1937, Page 4

STREET APPEALS REFUSED

COUNCL’S FIRM STAND ONE-A-MONTII PRINCIPLE ALTERNATIVES PROPOSED Because the Gisborne Borough Council had adopted the policy of permitting no more than one street appeal a month, two such requests were refused at last night’s meeting of the council.

One was to raise money to assist Basque children refugees in England, and the other was from the Poverty Bay Hockey Association to hold a sale of surprise packets for a touring fund.

When making its application, the Basque Children’s Relief Fund Committee pointed out that the Salvation Army was spending £IOOO a week in caring for 1400 children in England at present. It was advisable for funds to be raised as soon as possible, and the committee suggested a date next week.

The deputy-Mayor, Cr. H. Holmes, who presided, referred to the council’s one-a-month principle in allocating street collections, and said that one appeal had been authorised this month .and another next month, and if the council granted the committee's request it would be departing from the policy it had laid down. However, commendable and deserving the case might be, he did not think the council could accede to the request. Interchange Suggested

“There is nothing,” Cr. Holmes added, “to prevent these religious bodies from taking up collections in their churches. They are different from the charitable organisations which have no other means of collection.”

Cr. J. H. Hall suggested that the relief committee might be able to arrange with either the Women’s National Reserve, whose collection was authorised for this month, or the Plunket Society, which was allotted next month, to defer its appeal in favour of the committee and take one of the vacant months later in the year.

The deputy-Mayor said that the council could take no objection to that if the committee could secure the consent of either of the other bodies mentioned. It was decided in the meantime to reply that the council could not grant the application for a street collection this month. Hockey Surprise Packet The Hockey Association, when asking for permission to hold a street sale of surprise packets, explained that donations of goods had been made. All the packets sold would contain something to the value of Is, and in addition there would be prizes of considerably greater value. The police had given permission for the scheme to proceed. The deputy-Mayor said that what he had explained in regard to the previous application applied equally to the Hockey Association’s request. Cr. 'J. Webb: Could no alternative suggestion be made? Cr. Holmes:, They do not ask us for any alternative. This raises the question, on account of the numerous applications, that made the council take a definite stand on the matter of street sales. We regret that we cannot allow street sales every week. Cr. Webb: We cannot stop them holding it on their own ground. • The deputy-Mayor: No. They can hold it in a shop, or anywhere else. The Hockey Association’s application was also refused.