BRUNNER RELIEF FUND.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 10615, 15 May 1896, Page 2

BRUNNER RELIEF FUND.

CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES. [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.! . Wellington, May 14.— The Conference of delegates to decide what shall be done with the funds subscribed for the Brunner disaster opened this afternoon. Twelve delegates were present ; the Premier in the chsir.

Mr Seddon explained hia reasons for calling the Conference, and expressed himself personally against diverting any part of the fund to national purposes, as the money was subscribed specially for the Brunner sufferers ; nor did he think they should go upon charitable aid lines. Aa far as could be gathered, there was between £16,000 and £17,000 collected, and tho total might reach £20,000. They would want all they could get, as, based upon^he wages earned by the men who had been hurried into eternity, it would take a capital of £50,000 to put their families in as good a position as before the disaster. He was in favor of electing trustees, as ihe Public Trustee could not have sufficient time to look closely into the wants of a large number of widows and children. He suggested that as Mr Stead, of Christchurch, and others had been unable to reach Wellington, they should only transact formal businoss, and adjonrn till to-morrow.

Mr Bland, chairman of the Central Committee at Brunnerton, reported that there wore 40 widows and 169 children, and five more expected. He hoped they would come to a speedy decision, as the Committee hnd only £200 left ont of the £959 that had been received.

It was decided that the first business ahould be to decide whether the present Convention took action or left it, as suggested by the Dunedin Committee; to the Municipal Conference, and tho meeting adjourned till 10.30 a.m. to-morrow.

The Mayor acknowledges with thanks the following further contributions to the Brannerton Relief Fund :— Mrs George 53; Mr Taylor, 5s ; Messrs Okeys, Arnold, & Earp, £2 2s, The total amount remitted to Grey mouth is at date £283 29.