DISTRESSED SEAMEN

Southland Times, Issue 19656, 5 October 1922, Page 7

DISTRESSED SEAMEN

ADMINISTRATION OF RELIEF SUBSCRIPTIONS. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, October 3. The Seamen’s Union has decided that in raised for the relief of distressed members shall be administered by the Union, as the Union considers that funds subscribed for this purpose should be used to tide a member or his dependents over their difficulties. Some little time ago £127 was contributed by seamen on behalf of an elderly comrade in the South Island, and in accordance with custom the whole of the money was handed over in one sum. Recently the body of the assisted member was found in Lyttelton harbour, and when his will was opened it was discovered that he had left all his money (including the amount received from the Union) to a well-to-do person in another part of the Dominion who had befriended him some years before by lending him the small amount of £1 when he was “hard up” In future all subscriptions raised will be placed to the credit of the Union and the executive will pay to the distressed member or his dependents a sum not exceeding £4 weekly until the total amount received by way of subscriptions is exhausted or until the executive resolves that there is no further need to provide assistance. Any balance standing to the credit of the subscription list shall be retained by the Union in a special fund to be used for reliefing any other cases of distress.