SOUNDS PATRIOTIC COMMITTEE.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 30, Issue 21, 15 March 1918, Page 3

SOUNDS PATRIOTIC COMMITTEE.

A meeting of the committee was held at Nikau Bay on March 10th, when there were present: Messrs F. C. Fell (chairman), V. H. Ruffell, C. Borck, G. Anderson, R. D. Fell, and J. C. M. Grecnsill (hon. sec.) Leave of absence was granted Messrs 0. Passau, R. Mills, F. Ward, and G. S. Johnson. Resignations were accepted from Messrs Saunderson, Fronting and Minns, the chairman stating that at present the Mahakipawa district had no representative on the committee. The chairman read, among other correspondence, a letter from the Minister of Internal Affairs pointing out that it was imperative for all persons authorised to issue “Permits to Collect” to carefully fill in all the required details on the form as to dates etc., and also to send in a monthly return of all permits issued on a special form provided for the purpose. Considering the difficulties of making a collection in the Sounds, owing to weather conditions, by any specified time, remarked the chairman, he would congratulate most members of the committee on the punctuality with which they had completed their collections in the past. Others, however, were apt to forget they had to finish their collection by a certain date. Under the new regulations it would be necessary for all collectors to return their permits by a specified date whether filled in or blank.

The effort now being made by the Y.M.C.A. to raise £1,000,000 in order to maintain their work for the soldiers during the next 12 months, having been brought before the notice of the meeting, it was resolved that the quarterly collection shortly to bo set in motion should be in aid of the Y.M.C.A.

The question of rendering financial assistance towards the proposed founding of a Club in Blenheim for Marlborough Soldiers was brought up for discussion. Various opinions were expressed both in favour of and also against soldiers clubs, but the feeling generally seemed to be that, considering the scattered nature of the Marlborough Province and the comparatively few men who had yet returned, the present soldiers club should be sufficient for the needs of the men temporarily and in view of the fact that the committee were now going to raise money for the Y.M.C.A. it would be better to defer further discussion till a future meeting when the committee’s hands might bo free.

At the conclusion of the general business, Mr E. J. Harvey, treasurer of the Marlborough Patriotic Fund, gave the committee a very interesting and lucid address on the work of the Marlborough Patriotic Society. Mr Harvey said that the feeling of the public generally in Marlborough seemed to be that the Society was doing nothing and that there was a general want of publicity about the whole business. He would, however, submit some figures taken from his books showing what the Society had done during the War. It was

impossible, he explained, for the Society to publish in the Press, what they were doing to assist soldiers and those they had left behind, because no one would ask for or accept assistance if they thought their cases were going to be made public. After hearing Mr Harvey, members expressed the opinion that he had put matters in a very different light to what they had heard from general gossip. In moving a vote of thanks to Mr Harvey for having come down to address the Sounds Committee, the chairman said it was a very difficult matter for delegates to the Central Executive from back-block districts to give information to their committees that Mr Harvey had done because they had not the figures or general information about the detail work that was being carried on for soldiers and their dependants that Mr Harvey had, he having a great deal of his time constantly taken up with the work and keeping the accounts of the Society. Mr Fell also expressed the opinion that if Mr Harvey or some other member of the Society, with the necessary information at his finger tips, was to visit the various sub-committees, a great deal might be done to stir up public enthusiasm for the Marlborough Patriotic Fund. He would suggest, seeing the good results that the Red Cross and Y.M.C.A. etc., were obtaining from special “Our Day” appeals, that at a future date an “Our Day” should be held on behalf of our Marlborough men by every committee in the Province of Marlborough. Mr Harvey and members, of the committee considered the idea a good one and it was decided the Sounds delegates should introduce the subject at Ith© next meeting of the Executive in Blenheim. The meeting thee dosed.