KING GEORGE'S FUND FOR SAILORS.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14621, 28 January 1918, Page 2

KING GEORGE'S FUND FOR SAILORS.

HANDSOME S ÜBSCRIPTIOJN S

£5,000 FROM .THE KING AND £500 FROM DUKE OF CONNAUGHT.

A meeting .of the General Council of j King George's Fund for- Sailors was held on November Bth, 1917, at the Trinity Honse. London. H.R.HI the Duke-of Connaught took the chair. In addressing the members of the Council His Royal Highness said | that it was a great pleasure to him to be present on that occa&ion, and he felt that he might congratulate the fund on tlie great progress which had been made and upon the cordial reception that had been accorded to it by thei public, although, he hoped, the support! already given" was notiiing to what it would receive in the future. He expressed his confidence as to the greaw advantage that the fund must be to the I Marine ""Benevolent Institutions, and, | through,them, to the gallant men of the sea and to their widows and children. His Royal Highness also expressed the conviction that tlie i'una'. would appeal to Englishmen in a way that no other fund had ever done, andj through it tlie whole country would be! able to show their appreciation of the

services of the Royal Navy, the Royal Naval Reserve, the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and the men of the Merchant Service. In conclusion, His Royal Highness said that the work ox ' the fund Lad been watched with very great interest by His Majesty the King, who, aware of the benefit that the fund would be to the sailor and with a desiru j to mark his sense of the importance of that fund and ithe benefits it would confer i.pon those to whom we were so much indebted, had requested him to announce that the King desired to contribute £5,000 towards the admirable work that was being done. This announcement was received witli great enthusiasm. Captain A. W. Clarke (DeputyChairman) said he was .pleased to announce- thaA the fund had now reached £210,000. *lie expenses in connection; with the raising of this amount were only one-half per cent., so-that forj every £100 subscribed by the public

£99 10s would go direct to the sailors. He thought that this constituted a record in the annals of charity organisa-! tion. ' ': ..,, j

Sir Raymond Beck, the chairman of the Finance Committee, then presented a financial report, which was unani-

mously adopted. N Sir Richard Wiljiams-Bulkeley, in presenting the report of ihe Collecting; Committee, stated that the "Daily Telegraph" appeal continued to render a large, measure'of'material assistance to the- King's Fund, and the Collecting Committee had expressed their thanks in this connection in a letter to Lord Burnham and.the staff of tho "Daily Telegraph."* The collecting Committee also wished to take this opportunity of acknowledging their gratitude to Lloyds Exchange and the Commercial Sale Room, Mincing Lane, the .Baltic and the Corn Exchange, all oi: which had contributed very generously to. the King's -Fund. The co-operation of the clergy was progressing favourably. The lead of the Archbishop of Canterbury in giving such a large measure of support' to the movement would no doubt result in a special Sunday being set apart for collections on behalf of the fund. The report was xmanimouply adopted. Sir Thomas Devitt proposed:—"That the General Council, in expressing their loyal and humble duty to His Majesty the King, wish also, to convey their most grateful thanks for the munificent gift of £5,000 which it has pleased His Majesty •to make to the- fund which bears his name. The Council appreciate that in so doing His Majesty once again emphasises his interest in his sailor population and his desire, that the nation may liberally and splendidly -respond to the appeal which is now-be-ing made." In moving the resolution, Sir Thomas said that his gift of £5,000 was one more instance of His Majesty's great .interest in such work as that which was being undertaken by the Council. He personally was of opinion that it would be of great advantage to the sailor aad his dependents by preventing overlapping, bad administration and wasteful expenditure on propaganda of tiie money subscribed b;> the benevolent public. He Avas sui'b thai the work of the Fund would be welcomed by all properly conducted and well-organised marine benevolent institutions who looked after the welfare of the tsoamen. Lord Somerleyton, in seconding the! resolution, sn.id that he of his own knowledge knew that the King always looked carefully into 'the economical i methods employed by charitable societies to which he gave his support, | and His Majesty. Avould therefore bti! very pleased to know that up to date the cost of collection of King George's^ Fund amounted to one-half per cent. .Tl"o resolution was carried unanimously. ■*» Capi;. Sir H. Acton Blake proposed a' vote of thanks to H.R.H. the Duke oiConnanght for presiding at the meeting and remarked that His Royal Highness,, as Master of the Corporation of Trinity; House, was carrying on ■ its traditions with regard to its closo association with, all those- who go..down to the sea in ships and the various charities which look after the welfare of the seaman and liia dependents. As Deputy-Mas-ter of the Trinity House, he (the speaker) had been permitted to say*! that His Royal Highness had increased ■■ Ills subscription to The! fund was greatly indebted •to j j His Royal Higrmess for the valu-' able assistance he had rendered siac-9 I its.-inauguration and for his great pei~; &ohal service. .."."• | Mr Havelock ■ "Wilson, in seconding the vota, said that ho was expressing to 1 Bis Royal Highness, the thanks of the whole sailor population, who, he knew, appreciated the actions of tho general public with regard :to the fund. The vote,passed,with enthusiasm. |

His Royal Highness, in thanking the Council for their land expression oi thanks, stated that, as Master of theTiinity House ho hoped for many year* to keep np his connection as Chairman of the King George's Fund for Sailors, ! and added that his services would always be at the disposal of the Council. , Mr Cecil King, as lion, treasurer, is receiving contributions' in Nelson to | the above fund.