EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1929, Page 11

EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND

QUESTIONS ASKED IN HOUSE

CRITICISM, OF PRESIS k£ESSAGE&|

PREMIER ANSWERS MR. HOLLAND.

i By Telegraph.—Press "Association. - Wellington; Last Night. Mr. H. E. Holland (Buller), in th® House of Representatives to-day, asked the Prime Minister:— (1) Whether he had seen a Press message sent out from Westport in which the Press Association criticised the work of the central earthquake relief - committee and in which it was stated that the relief afforded to sufferers in > the district covered by the Buller trict relief committee had amounted to only £"O5, including £4OO for the re-k lief of Seddonville residents, and which message also contained the allegation ‘ that in face of the small amount of relief granted the central committee asked that local committees put their '■ money into a general fund so that it may be put out at interest. ■ ' (2) Whether any, application for relief moneys from the general fund had been made by the Buller district relief ' committee and refused. - (3) Whether the moneys are tied up in any way by reason of the fact that ' they earning interest. (4) Whether the Prime Minister would make a statement indicating the course to be followed and the nature of the details to be furnished by district relief ' committees when making application for grants from the general fund. ; (5) Whether he would take steps to impress upon the Press Association the amount of harm that may result to the earthquake relief fund if its organisation is made use of to circularise in* ‘ accurate statements sueh as those winch’ have already been sent out by the association from Westport. Sir Joseph Ward replied:— (1) The transfer of local funds to» '• thi central'committee in'no way "Interfered with the powers of the local com- ■ mittee to meet relief, and this'.was assured to all committees. As a matter* of fact the- local Buller committee had raised itself, he understood, about £2OOO and he assumed that it was- using this’: to meet the present demands for urgent relief. The central committee had met any request from Westport for grants, etc. <: (2) No requests have been refused. ; 13) Moneys of the central fund were: invested at call and were available at a moment’s notice. (4) The details suggested to be furnished by applicants, beyond the imme- ~ diate restoration of relief, etc., had been sent to each committee on the lines adopted at the last central committee' meeting. He proposed, after the central committee meeting to be held the next day, to make a full statement covering the inaccurate and other statements reported to have been made. (5) He would call the attention, of the manager of the Press Association to the matter. > Sir Joseph Ward , stated that in his opinion the Press Association ought to be used for the dissemination of news and not for circulating misleading grievances all over the country with the possible consequence of detrimentally fecting the contributions to the earthquake relief fund.