PUBLIC MEETING.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 13794, 15 June 1915, Page 4

PUBLIC MEETING.

SICK AND WOUXDKD SOLDIERS 1 - . FUND. GALA- DAY TO BE TIELD.

■ OTHER FIXTURES TO BE ARR/JMCEM'OK..

A public Meeting was hold in -the City Council Chnmijers last evening for the purpose of furthering tho objects of the Sick and Wounded Soldiers and their Dej)e?)dents' Fund. The Mayor (Mr C. J. Har!ey)'omipied the chair, and there was a largo attendance or the public. The >lnyoi explained how tho funcf had i'f-ftn inaugurated, and said il was intended io subscribe money out of which provision could be made foi soldiers who return ircm tho front disabled, and theii- depi-udeius, and also tho tfepemteiif* oi" tho killed. .At tho meutmji oi the combined committees hold last week £GOU was voted and sub - scribed, and sir.co then .-C-lL'4 had"'been coUu-ted. making a total oi JtJO2-1 Tho matter had boon taken up most en-thusiastie-i.'l.v. In the small centres committees v,eie being formed, and ho expressed tho opinion that beiore long they y.ould have a very lar^e fund. Sub.ccriptions were bfiiwu, foniiucd. t-o tho Waimoa, Oollingwood, TakaKa, and Murchison counties, Mntiu-lin -.md Ltichrnotid boroughs, and Melson city. That tfcero ivas necessity- for such- a fund was madb only too manifest by tho heavy casually lists that- wore- cujnia^ through (ivory day. Tho total oF Avounded to <iato was 1759, and out of thaJL uumbci" tl.i'oo or four liuncircd might bo ospcrt-od to return to Xew Zeahmd di^abiffl. of- (ho killed Mould Ip.'v/v <kpcndonis bclund them, v.'ho would rotiuirc assistance. The GoveTnmonl uoukl provide a pension .schenio, ?nit tJiat. v/onld uot by sufficient to provide for their needs, and the local furwl wou?sl be necessary tosuppiemo.nt iiiat. 'ilie LMayur nicn(ioned Unit- JV?r j{ San rulers was j;-ivin«-

an cntcrt.'iimT.eytt at tlM> Etnpire■■■Theatre this owning in aid of the fund, and said he hoped to see n large audience. <" Applause.} "' The Hon A. T . •Viadnnity, M.1..C.. said tho fund was-peculiarly interesting to the-people present, because it. referrec 1 to the provincial district of NeJ!>on. They had no desite to clog thewheels'of patriotism in other directions, but Nelson had sent, away 'upwards of 400 ir.en. »T3>? these hod been told thifc they and their dependents would- bo looked after. Therefore iie appealed vo them to support the fund by their help and their .sympathy. Let is not be said that they were there to dol<? out char it}', said'Mr Maginnity; let not our brave soldivrs. have to romo to them to beg for thf-ir stistenanee. The fund must l>e adniiiiistered on .a liberal s-cale. irrespective.of tho help the Government of the- country would give. Parliament would not be 'very old. before the Nelson representatives would endeavour tofceo- that the wanis of.tho soldiers were well, readily, and liberally "supplied Bo implored i,!n> people to ■ give tho fond Ihe help it needed, and to see that their promises to the soldiers who had gone away were fulfilled. The Rev. W. Baumbc-r leeferred. to the fact that I'Viday next was tlie centenary of Waterloo, when Britain Koved V.nropw from Napoleonic tyranny. What Britons had done in -the past they could <3o again to-day. (Applause.) Our foes of llK) years ago, he said, were 'our aijjo-s to-day, and our ally then was -to-day'our roe- —and it wasone of the most ujiporupulous and powerful fo>">s tljo world had seen. Wo must, he slid, be prepared for heavy josshs ; they w-cro even now sorrowing; for the brave soldiers who were laying down their lives for thtv.i. They must' be prepared to truil-e sacrifices, and men, womvn.. and children ail over th? world were making sacrifices. Had wo ever ' i ritil to' measure t'.'.e sacrifices our soldiers were making so that wo might live in .comfort and enjoy car liberty? 2s it possible, he asked, for us to \to too muer for them;1 Are they to inalso all the sacrifices while we enjoy the Vomfcirt cf those sjeriiices? "No,'- he said, ."wo must not receivethe sacrifices for nothing." (Applause.) Some of our so-'diers wotfld be coming hack— not all oi them—and we were proud of the fallen because they died so horok-ilh in ko /['oat a cause. They, fou«tit mid they have suffered for us.. We owed Ihcjn i\ debt wo could never repay and one we could never forget. God forbid that we should ever forget, hsonio men -would come Lack broken in health: others weak from'wounds; and some crip-p><!-d for li|,e.because they havo lough" for on. Weiv they to be treated as HriMvh soldiers had boon in the past —negk-cted and forgotten ? Sharoeon us if vs) did that". We miift insist on generous- State pensions. . (Applause.) There w?.s an abundance, oi: wealth in Ibis country, and it could af-. ford it. We rmist see that those from this distm-J woj'O not neglected. Had .we given to tho ex'ont df sacrifice yet 3--ho askeil. if w-o were- to be true to those brave wen who were fighting for us, we must 'share with them the sacrifice they l'»:n! inado. MrT." V. H. Field, M.P., agreed that, yams from tho f'lpd should not be doled' out as charity. (Hear,"hear.) He put; forth tho f-.i!;j;ge?--tion that a committee should be- iomied in write, to the soldiers and their dependents, and thu.s they would he aU-a to find out their circumstatif*^. Ho appealed to those pr(V sent to support the"fund. rJo niontion-: ed that Mr O'ld-prshaw hod su^gestod that a chit«"r«Ti Js day .should be bold op Juno t23%3 (the Prince of Wales'*, birthday)-. H n-,i-s Viointpf! out. that tho Bojs' College were giving adisolay tl:at day... Mr G.'-Buß.h hU;i;ae.4tcd that a May Queen carnival ,sliou!d be held by school children ov. the first Monday in .August:. He.s-ia.tecl that it had proved very successful rm the West Cosrst. Miss Karirte BU^fi'efvted that a children's display bo held in_ the Theatra Koyai.' JNir E. phi?ant offered to give the proceeds of ? picture entertainment at Vakofield U ihc fund Mr H \V. Kiilcs (prr-^ido'-.t of the Xclmki I\\< : 3;y iJ>v.ioii) s-iid that the footb^llors -,v-if> r.r\ir> --ilh'mr to assist in any way, ar"3 ' o said that if a seven ii-siU'i luurn-Aineiit ..as lield in aid ol" tiie fund a -i;l)--tartial sum should bo realised Ivlr Hfiimv-'jn "-aid that many present c-n;iid not" nfcr-i to huL To amounts, to Vie fn?»f) irnl th< ■ c woro many who Vtcro j-e.ul^ «r.-: vtiiiii.j: «\ ;<* small <Viaison-s * i«;:ul:wl\r. l?e sup^cstcd that this r^.iiei iri-Jit ho leit to tlv? iaJifn. The fol'ii,i'.H- iianTs More ndded 1o Ihf> <-:<.'\"ul:A <- i o'l"n;lter>: — I\h D. Ivhwuds jia.-Jiib.--, AL-i'.ui- h, Ea-»t----r-ctt, J. IL M.n'i^tjr/i.., and Aj n^ironu,; Buuj..bor. Faniie. IfunterFiown, Aiulre.v, ll'idson, G Bible's, and Wiiton, Mi-^i<. K. Vv" PLilos T I'pltit. Dimant, Um-lj, Cressv.oll. lion", Walter finodpraso, Ci U r.sha ,-, W. Lix-k, \\ . Rnoors, 1.. Boj-1, J. i!. Kinnov, W. H. ?imps(in,' A l". <6l:rir:i>ton, and Dr Wasi-bourr-It was ro<j]»-.'! to re,or .\iiss }> c.rmc s sii' 'icstion to the ladies' <>omi»itieo, xm\ a doiwtai lon was a^roi^td to rait puon MoftFT<> /'- O (Jn)bs and V. \. K'-.-Diuin tunx.cvi'w-i v,ith the matter. Mr'lJu'ili's *-ii,'.i;<!fttion ola L.ila d,\y m tlic- ti>-c--t> f.t ii.day in August v,as re- « "erred £o m c to c.rrv cut. Mr U:inroso i"s si^^os^on v.as vc'crretl to thf> Is'lifh' rommiticp. A Jieaittv \-ot-o fis thanks was tenIcrecl to ?Ir pi wait frr his offer. Various suh-^caimnlces vcro set up, ir.il ihe- moot hip adjourned