R.S.A. AND Y.M.C.A.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 August 1919, Page 5

R.S.A. AND Y.M.C.A.

WHY COMMISSION ASKED FOB. •By Telegraph— Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Dominion executive of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association issued the fallowing statement to-night: "Our reply to the National executive of the Y.M.C.A. has been delayed pending the publication of their accounts and the auditors' reports, The accounts, together with the report of the London auditors duly appeared in to-day's Wellington papers, but although there is on one the New Zealand accounts, it is qualified by the certificate,- which refers to a separate report. We must, of necessity, wait for the publication of that particular report before further dealing with the matter. We invite tho National executive of the Y.M.OA. w publish the missing document without delay. In continuing our pressure for a commission, we wish to emphasise again the two broad issues which we have already made clear in our public statement of last week, and previously to the Minister of Internal Affairs, viz., (1) That we require a Royal commission for the purpose of framing recommendations for the ultimate disposal of war fund generally; and (2) That we require it, further, in order that a proper investigation of certain matters, to which we have drawn the Minister's attention without satisfactory results, may be made. The Y.M.C.A. has represented itself as a body singled out for an attack camouflaged under the broad purposes of a commission. To this we give a most unqualified denial. In pressing for the first object we had hoped that the commission suggested would be able to dispose of what we regarded as a minor matter in. connection with the second." ' •

Replying to the statement, the National Committee of the Y.M.C.A. states the report of Messrs. Watkins, Hunt, and Wheeler, auditors of the N.Z. Y.M.C.A'. War Fund, was sent by the auditors to the Controller and AuditorGeneral, and is now in his hands. The committee is seeking the AuditorGeneral 's permission to publish the report, and will do so if his permission be obtained.