PATRIOTIC FUNDS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4221, 8 December 1939, Page 5

PATRIOTIC FUNDS

REGULATION EXPLAINED. MISUNDERSTANDING REMOVED Obligations under the Patriotic Purposes Emergency Regulations, and certain exemptions therefrom, are discussed by the Hon. W. E. Parry in a letter received by the Mayor of Te Awamutu. The letter states:— “I desire to draw your attention to the exemptions of certain patriotic purposes from the Patriotic Purposes Emregency Regulations, 1939, made by me on October 4th, and particular to No. 3 of those exemptions, which reads:—‘The raising of funds by and with the authority of the Mayor of a borough or the chairman of a local authority for the purpose of making gifts to residents within the borough or the district of such; local authority or any part thereof who are proceeding to or returning from such service as aforesaid.’ “Letters which have come to me during the past fortnight show some little misunderstanding of how this particular exemption works, and I earnestly desire your co-operation to the end that the people in various localities throughout the Dominion may be able to make full and proper use of that exemption. “May I ask you within your own district to suggest to the people in various localities that committees of residents be formed and state that to each such committee you will give th,e authority required by the exemption to raise funds for the purpose of making gifts to their fellow-resi-dents who are proceeding to or returning from service with His Majesty’s forces. ORGANISATION SUGGESTED. “Each such committee could be set up at a public meeting of residents of the locality and could be convened, if you think it desirable, by some person appointed by you for the purpose. On the other hand, there may be in a number of localities already some organisation which adequately represents the residents of that locality. In such case it would be appropriate for you, if that organisation were willing, to appoint it to do the work visualised by this particular exemption. The committee so elected or appointed by you could continue to function throughout the war. “Mayors of boroughs and other local authority chairmen are often chairmen of the local or district committees of provincial patriotic councils, and exemption No. 4 should also bo understood. Everyone should bo made aware of the fact that under this exemption the chairman of the provincial council or of the controlling committee of any subdivision of the provincial district has power to allow of the holding of functions or entertainments in honour of any members of the forces. Such efforts, however, are subject to conditions imposed by paragraphs (a) to (e) of Exemption No. 4. COMMUNITY OF INTEREST. “The above suggestions have been made having particularly in mind the circumstances of country districts and counties and smaller boroughs and the cities there are part of those districts, particularly in the suburbs, which have a distinct social life and community of interest of their own apart from that of the district as a whole. In such cases too, it would be appropriate to set up such a committee as outlined above.”

Exemption No. 4 states.—The holding of any function or entertainment in honour of any member or members of the forces arranged by any personor bo'dy of persons approved for the purpose thereof, or of a series :»f such functions or entertainments extending over a period of not more than six months at any one time, by the chairman of the provincial council or of the Controlling committee of the subdvision of the provincial district within which such function, entertainment, or series is to be held, provided that—

(a) The person or body promoting such function or entertainment sr series shall not appeal for or in any other way solicit moneys in aid thereof or advertise or in any other way hold out the same as being in aid of any patriotic purpose; but nothing herein shall operate to prohibit the making for admission thereto or such charge as approved by the chairman of the provincial council or controlling committee.

(b) ,A detailed statement of receipts and payments in respect of each such function or entertainment is furnished to the provincial council or controlling committee within seven days after the holding thereof.

(c) Any balance of receipts over payments in respect oi any such furiction or entertainment or of any such series shall be disposed of in such manner for such approved patriotic purpose of purposes as the provincial council or controlling committee 'directs.

(d) At such time or times as the Minister directs, such particulars of such function, entertainment, or series as the Minister requires shail be forwarded to him by the provincial council or controlling committee. (e) Approval granted in respect of any usch function, entertainment, or series may at any time be revoked by the person granting the same, or by the Minister.