THE BICKERTON FUND.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14285, 29 August 1910, Page 7

THE BICKERTON FUND.

A CURIOUS PHILANTHROPIST. The following, from the Wellington "Post" will be of more interest to our readers than to those of thai> journal, because the Mr Aplin mentioned was for some years in South Canterbury, and on one occasion was an unsuccessful candidate fur the Timaru seat in the House of Representatives:— Recently on the motion of Mr. Massey a return was ordered by the House of Representatives giving the correspondence which had passed between the Government and persons either inside or outside the Dominion relating to the Bickerum Fund. The file was presented to the House recently, and makes interesting reading. Application for assistance was first made to the Government by the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council, and Sir Joseph Ward replied that the Government would subsidise the fund to enable Professor Bickerton to place his theory before the scientific world at Home to the extent of £ for £ up to £3OO. Then aMr V W. F. Aplin, of Barcal-, dine, Queensland, appears on the scene' with a letter dated 25th April, 1910, and addressed to the Hon. George Fowlds, whom he informs he is anxious to subsidise the fund to the extent of £looo—"such sum to be deducted from my claim against the New Zealand Government for £SOOO, which the Government have bad for some time under consideration." Mr Fowlds replied with the intimation that lie had received the letter an I "noted its contents." Mr. Aplin accepted this kindly. "Accept ray thanks for your favour of the 18th inst-..'' he wrote on 30th May, 1010. "Kindly send me the necessary papers for the transfer of the £IOOO. '. which papers, if in order. 1 will sij;n and return immediately. lam anxious to pay the £IOOO to enable the Bick»rton Fund to have a working capital.'-

In the meantime tho Government ] paid the subsidy of £'3UO to tho Bicker- i Lou Fund. ' AVriting from Baroaldino. Queensland, | again on lltli -July, J.!)10, Mr. Aplin said to Mr t'owlds:- "Will yon kindly inform me per return mail whether you haw forwarded me the necessary ! papers lor mo to sign in reicrence to ■the transfer of £1(100 on my account to tile Rickorfnii Fimd. It" i lie papers j have not been sent I will lie glad it you will he good enough to explain the [ reasons. Possibly Ihe papers haw been. I stolen. Unfortunately this would not have been the lirst, time that documents belonging to me have been stolen in transmission through the Post. Oiiieo. | You can readily understand how | anxious am to know whether you ij have forwarded the papers." Then he |j goes on to speak of the educational | value of Professor Bickerton's theory and concludes: "You may or may not : believe me that 1 am absolutely certain ! that unseen forces are assisting Profo.s- ---; sor Hickerton, although he may he (and I 1' believe he is) unconscious of the fact," i| Thi-. drew a reply from the UnderSecretary of Education that the Minister proposed to take no action in reference to Mr Aplin's i Apparently the correspondence then j closed.