PATRIOTIC FUND

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 66, Issue 5603, 9 April 1943, Page 3

PATRIOTIC FUND

WAIKATO QUOTA £82,695 MEETING OF COMMITTEE Intimation that it was proposed to raise £82,695 for the 1943 patriotic effort during the year 1943 was conveyed to a meeting of the Waikato (E) Zone Patriotic Committee on Wednesday in Hamilton, attended by 25 delegates from the Piako, Waikato, Waipa, Raglan, Otorohanga, Waitomo counties; Hamilton, Huntly, Ngaruawahia, Cambridge, Morrinsville, Te Awamutu and Te Kuiti boroughs; and Otorohanga town district. The Mayor of Hamilton, Mr H. D. Caro, presided, as chairman of the Waikato Zone Committee:

Mr W. L. Waddel, secretary of the committee, presented the revised figures for quotas and collections for 1942, with the allocation for the current year, besides a list of receipts in each of the inter-zone areas to January 31, 1943. Of the £82,695 for the “E” Zone the following were the inter-zone allocations: Hamilton (30.2 per cent), £24,974, less £8263 17s 2d over-subscribed last .year; Te Awamutu, £9923, less £1323 14s 3d; Huntly, £4631, less £572 19s 6d; Otorohanga, £3556, less £3l 13s 7d; Te Kuiti-Waitomo, £6698, less £1313 0s 3d; Te Aroha, £7195, less £1737 2s lOd; Morrinsville, £6698, less £896 12= 3d; Raglan, £BlO4, plus £193 4s Id under-subscribed last year; Ngaruawahia, £3060, plus £1857 12s lOd; Cambridge, £6285, plus £705 Ils 3d; Kawhia, £1571, plus £776 6s sd.

It was explained that the quotas were computed on the basis of population and capital valuations of land. QUOTA RESULTS OF 1942 The meeting considered ways and means of raising the amounts. It was shown that the 1942 quota was £81,827, including a credit of £3318 for 1941. The amount paid and credited through Hamilton from October 10, 1941, to January 31, 1943, was £86,709 13s lid, and the amount credited from Auckland in the same period £2388 Ils 4d. The amount raised above the quota was £14,121 19s lOd, in seven of the inter-zone areas, and there was £3532 14s 7d under the quota in four of the interzone areas.

Mr Waddel said slight adjustments would be necessary, but these would not materially alter the totals. One suggestion put forward for raising funds was that signatures be obtained, at 2s 6d each, to a scroll to be forwarded eventually to Great Britain or Cairo, each inter-zone to prepare a scroll. The chairman said he had no doubt 50,000 signatures could be obtained in Zone “E.” The idea was adopted. After a good deal of discussion, it was decided to approach the National Patriotic Fund Board with the object of establishing a Dominion lottery for patriotic funds, substantial prizes to be allocated for a series of lotteries. It was made clear that each inter-zone area could arrange its own method of collecting needed funds.

Mr S. J. Fortesque (Otorohanga) sponsored a suggestion that as an alternative to a Dominion lottery, the Government be asked to add onetwentieth to the national and social security charges and make the product available to the Patriotic Fund Board. An alternative was that in raising its next £10,000,000 War Purposes Loan the Government should pay only 2 per cent to investors and allocate the extra half per cent (£50,000) as prizes for a national lottery series, investors in the War Loan to have tickets in the lottery proportionate to their contributions to the loan. NATIONAL ART UNIONS Mr G. Spinley (Te Awamutu) suggested that the Government be asked to hand over all the profits from what were called “national art unions.” The profits were now distributed to mayors of cities and boroughs for relief of distress. In his opinion the calls on each Mayor’s Fund were few nowadays, and steadily becoming fewer. Advocates of the national lotteries stressed the fact that many people who did not contribute directly to the patriotic funds would do so. Those who objected to a State lottery for that purpose could continue their straight-out giving. One delegate stated that in his town there were about 200 people who did not and would not give, leaving the other 600 to make extra contributions to provide the quota. Another said that quite 50 per cent of the patriotic funds now raised were by means of methods akin to State lotteries.