RED CROSS EXPENSES.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 883, 8 December 1916, Page 6

RED CROSS EXPENSES.

To the Editor of THE SUN. , Sir,—lt is readily admitted that the '' newspaper discharges a most im- , portant duty in acting as the his‘itorian of current events, but at the same time it is part of that duty to I record things as they happen, hj the i i same care were displayed in reportJing what happens, as readiness in ' j criticising the participators therein, there would be fewer grounds for . j complaint. In your report of the , proceedings at the Red Cross Execu- ! live on Tuesday last, I am made to I say that in the case of the British ; Red Cross 8d in the f was taken in I expenses. This is not correct. . What I did say was that out of every ,• t‘ contributed to the British Red .Cross 19/8 was spent for the benefit . of the sick and wounded, only 4d in the 1“ being absorbed in expenses, e In spite of y ( , U r opinion to the conel trary, 1 still think that in the case 1 under discussion you might have e : taken the trouble to make some in- . iquiries before publishing what you . did. In this particular case you had f ample time to do so. Surely the | cause affected, irrespective of the i personnel of its Executive Committee. or its officers, is sufficient juslis fication for some consideration. I c quite recognise it is not the duty of a j newspaper to verify the statements s'made by speakers in the discussion » of public or quasi public affairs, but e newspapers know to their cost the e i risks they run in reporting remarks s | which in many cases are based on ■jmere hearsay.—l am. etc.. 1 i J. A. FRESHER. s|