OLD VOLUNTEER FUND.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8534, 26 July 1889, Page 2

OLD VOLUNTEER FUND.

{Continued from yesterday.} James : Were the Trustees present at that meeting ? William : Yee ; Some of them, but not all. James : And were they not censured for the way they had mismanaged the fund? William : No ; not a word. There hae been plenty of tall talk about seeing the Trustees, but when they were face to face with them at a properly convened meeting no explanation was asked for or complaint made.

James : So much for tbe past. Now what is going to be done in the future ?

William : Nothing can be done of course until the meeting ia held, when the majority will have to decide. A great many are in favour of dividing even what is left, but a considerable number who have given the matter some consideration are in favour of keeping the fund together and devoting it to the purpose for which it wad originally put in trust, viz., to encourage volunteering and perpetuate the name of the Tarnnaki Volunteers who were the first Volunteers in the world engaged in active service in the field. With that objeot mainly in view they are soliciting votes and propose to apply for the Government subsidy of £1 for £1 still open up to £300, procure a site in a central position, and erect a building to be used as an Agricultural Hall for shows, &c, drill abed, gymnusium, band ooncerts, public meetings, &c, and to place in it a tablet referring to the engagements of the Volunteers and the names of those who were killed in aotion.

James ; It seems a very appropriate object, but will it be right to vote the money of those who desire to have their share ? William : Certainly. It ia only carrying oat the object for which the money w»b originally roted. It never did belong to them individually, they could probably have mads it so by voting for a division when tbe money first oame, but they decided to put it is troet and interest was to be expended annually in prize j for Rifle shooting, an annual dinner or in any other manner that should be from time to time deoided upon to bring them together once a year. James : But have the majority thought to deal with the shars of the minority ? William : Undoubtedly, because there is no share. It ia a fund belonging to a body in tbe tame way that the funds of the present Volunteers belong to the corpi and can only be dealt with by .the vote of themajority.lt was the vote of the majority or rather an almost unanimous vote that constituted the trust, and if the majority had the right then to decide as to the disposal of the money, surely they have the same right now. James : It will be rather hard on some poor .people who really want the money that would come to them if the fund is divided. William : So it will, but to get over that difficulty a considerable number have been paid a fair price for tbeir chance, and will therefore lose only a mere trifle. In fact they will derive a benefit over the I others, by the amount they have been paid. It would be a far more unjust thing to < divide the money in tqual portions according to the list now prepared, for that would place such men as Major Atkinson and Captain Maoe (both of whom contributed personally » considerable Bum to the fund) and others who Berved through the whole war with distinction, on equal terms with many on the list who never served at all during the time for which the money was voted, or juit happened to be in the Volunteers for a month or two. Another important feature is that if the money is divided those of us who are here will get our pnaall whack, and the unclaimed portion of those who are dead or absent will be paid to the Public Trustee, and thus virtually go back to the .Government; whereas, on the other hand, if we vote the fund for tbe purpose stated we get the subsidy of £300 on top of it, and use it for a purpose that will be a lasting public benefit. James: Well, it's getting late, and I must travel. I quite approve of the soheme for disposing of the fund, and will send you my proxy. William: Thank you.