TIMATU WRECKS RELIEF FUND.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2932, 18 August 1882, Page 2

TIMATU WRECKS RELIEF FUND.

A meeting of subscribers to the above fund, was held in the Theatre Royal last night. Mr James Granger occupied the chair, and his co-trustees occupied seats on the platform. About forty persons were present. Mr Ziesler read the report of the Fund as follows :

“ The present meeting has been called in order that we may lay before you an account of our trust since our appointment at the public meeting in May last.

“During that .period we have collected the total of £2104 0s 9d as subscriptions in aid of the fund, and we congratulate ourselves in being able to announce such a satisfactory result. “Of the above amonnt £902 was subscribed by the inhabitants of this town and neighborhood, and the balance from various parts of New Zealand. “ During tho last two months the Committee have administered relief to the widows and children, amounting to £242 9s 2d. To relieve shipwrecked seamen absorbed a sum of £102195, and each of the men who took part in the. attempts to save lives received £5 to’ recoup them for loss of clothing, etc., making a total expenditure of £583 16s lid. ■ < “The balance in hand amounts to £1529 3s lOd, which we have reason to believe will be further : increased by contributions not (yet to hand. This amount wo would recommend should be invested by the incoming trustees for the benefit of the sufferers by the late disaster, and the interest only employed in relieving those who will require permanent assistance, while’‘ the principal would remain intact and available in case of future special demands upon it by the beneficiaries. “In relinquishing oar trust we wish to express our grateful acknowledgment of the spontaneous manner in which our appeal for assistance has been responded to in all parts of New Zealand.” i The Chairman then called for remarks or suggestions from those present. Mr Parsons enquired whether a charge of £5 14s had been made for tho use of the Theatre, on the occasion of the first meeting. Mr Ziesler explained that a separate subscription had been raised, amount-, ing to £5 16s which formed a fund separata from the Relief fund itself. The sum mentioned had been paid from this. . <

The motion being put was carried unanimously. ’ Mr Wakefield moved—“ That the permanent trustees be instructed to use the funds at their disposal in the following manner:—(l) To set apart a sum not exceeding £l5O for the erection of a suitable monument in Timaru, which may serve to commemorate the events of May 14th, and the heroism of those who, on that occasion gladly risked their lives for the sake of others. (2) To invest the balance advantageously, and as far as possible to use only the interest accruing therefrom in aid of the sufferers by the late disaster, reserving the capital for use as may be deemed most advisable by the permanent trustees.”

Ho added that there was a general wish that an enduring monument should be raised to commemorate the event. The trustees had received certain monies with special directions that they should be expended in relief of sufferers. Other money had been given without any stipulation, The Trustees thought they might well allocate the sum of £l6O for a monument. It was desired, in administering the funds, not to encroach on the capital, but to make necessary provision for sufferers from the interest. He referred to the shipwrecked sailors, who had been liberally relieved. Some of the drowned mariners had friends in England, and it was thought better to send to each family' at Home a lump sum of £SO, through the hands of the Agent-General, informing him at the same time of their wish to relieve them further if needed. The mao who had been injured and so incapacitated from work, had also been liberally dealt with. The Trustees had, heard three ways spoken of of utilising the money. One was to divide the money in hand among the families. Another was to invest the money in houses and land. A.third was the one embodied in the resolution he had proposed, viz—to invest the money, and administer it at discretion. Referring to the first plan, he thought such a division would bo the worst form of charity, and likely to defeat the purpose of the subscribers. As to the second, it was open to the double objection of being cumbersome and speculative. The third be thought the most judicious plan. It now only remained, if the motion were carried, to elect permanent Trustees.

The motion was seconded by Mr Collins.

Mr R. Stansel! asked how many women and children were likely to become claimants on the fund.

Mr Ziesler replied that there were three widows and two children here, and three families in England. There were also cases of men here lying in an uncertain state whoso families are still, and may remain, claimants on the fund. It might be counted upon that there would be a lump sum of £I2OO to invest, and a further sum of £3OO to meet nrgent demands.

Me ‘Hamersley thought the fund ought to be devoted solely to the purpose approved by the subscribers. Should a catastrophe ever occur iu Timaru, the Trustees would, by their plan have to decide whether to allocate moneys to it. He thought the principal ought to be devoted only to the assistance of these present sufferers and their families. It was not intended that the money should go to relieve sufferers by other calamities. Other calamities occurring would be dealt with in the same spirit as was the recent disaster. Ho was in favor of having the money entirely devoted to the relief of the present sufferers, and he begged to move as an amendment that the second part of the resolution read as follows “(2) To invest the balance asd us® tho

principal and interest in aid of the sufferers by the late disaster; in de» fault of any claimant on the fund the’ trustees shall devote the balance remaining for the relief of sufferers by other shipping casualties in Timaru." Mr Ogijvie seconded the amendment. Mr Wakefield said the wants of the families could be supplied from the interest, and if Mr Hamersley’s amendment were carried, when would the time come when there would be no claimants on the fund ? If the capital were allocated as proposed by the amendment there might be cases of desire for remarriage by widows. Such a thing as a widow marrying again had been known, and there would always be philanthropic men ready to assist a widow with £SOO or £6OO to spend it. The scheme intended to bo propounded in- the amendment was not clearly defined. Mr Hamersley asked when the claims on the fund would cease. A lad deprived of his father by the disaster, on growing to manhood might fairly claim to have a sum handed him from the fund, such as he would have received from his father. If every penny of the money was spent it would not compensate for the loss of the heads of families. He advocated giving no power to the Trustees to allocate the money to any other purpose, Mr Graham asked whether the motion was intended to go towards apprenticing or starting youths is life, Mr Moore asked what would be done if all the widows and children died. Mr Stansell supported the amendment. The money would yield only about £IOO per annum at interest, and that would be insufficient for relief. Mr Hamersley, replying to Mr Moore, said in the event of claimants dying, the Trustees would call a meeting and ask for instructions as to the disposal of the fund. Mr Ziesler said be thought Mr Wakefield by his motion merely asked what should be done with any surplus if there should be a surplus. Mr Stansell—Can you show how relief is to be afforded by £IOO per annum ? Mr Ziesler explained that as much as possible would be done with the interest the principal being available under special circumstances. Mr]Bush enquired whether the families ; of the disabled were receiving relief in proportion to the amount earned by the fathers when in health and at work. ; Mr Wakefield,in reply, said bethought the relief should be distributed equally, and no distinctions made. The Chairman asked the meeting to elect permanent trustees of the fund. Mr A. J. Parsons proposed that the gentlemen who had acted as provisional trustees-^the Ven. Archdeacon Harper, and Messrs Wakefield, Ziesler, and Granger—bo elected. They bad performed their duties most satisfactorily in the past, and that augured 1 well for their continuing to do so. Mr Bush seconded the motion. Mp Stansell moved that the name of Captain Sutter, Mayor of Timaru, be added. He tliought the Mayor of the town should bo one of the trustees. ; The amendment was not seconded, it beingremarked that as the former trustees had acted so well inthe matter it might make a mess of things to import new blood Mr Parson’s motion: was carried unanimously, The Secretary said that a full report of the disasters had. been sent to the Colonial Secretary for transmission to the Soyal Humane Society, and also to the Victorian Humane Society. Archdeacon Harper thanked the meeting fop the confidence they had shown in the provisional trustees by re-electing them. A vote of thanks to the trustees for past services was carried with enthusiasm, and a vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings. The balance sheet appears in another column.