ROTARY CLUBS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18537, 7 April 1930, Page 10

ROTARY CLUBS.

DOMINION CONFERENCE ENDS. By Telegraph—Prema Association. TONGARIRO, April 5. At the Rotary conference, the invitation from the Dunedin Club that the next conference be held at Dunedin was accepted. Explaining the Rotary Foundation Endowment Fund, Mr Charles Rhodes said the object was to provide an insurance against emergency or calamity that might seriously endanger the growth and usefulness of Rotary. The Rotary International obtained its current income chiefly fr»m a capitation tax and fees, and these sources were beiieved to be as high now as it was advisable to put them. The Rotars’ field of endeavour was worldwide, and no risk should be run of any interruption of its forward march. The permanence and stability of the Rotary International could not be exposed to the danger of weakened finance. The objective was £2,000,000, which sounded ambitious, but such a sum would yield at the best only £IOO,OOO per annum, which in times of stress would be quickly swallow r ed up. There w’as no desire to make a systematic levy. That was entirely contrary to Rotary ideals. The bulk of the funds must come from members, and he thought that the most tangible and popular method would be through life insurance on the endowment plan, whereunder a Club took out a ten years’ policy on some member's life, and paid the premium till death or maturity.

District Governor Ronaldson said that most of them were business men, and knew the value of a reserve fund. He suggested that the particulars given by Rotarian Rhodes should be discussed by Clubs, so that presidents and secretaries who would attend the District Assembly in August next could submit some scheme that would commend itself. This was agreed to.

It was decided to forward an invitation to the Rotary International to allocate the Pacific Rotary Conference in 1932 to New' Zealand. It was considered more likely that New Zealand would get the 1934 Conference.

Reference w r as made to the convention of the Rotary International at Chicago in June, and it was urged that efforts be made for a representative delegation from New Zealand. Mr Harry Guthrie, president of the Dunedin Club, was the only nomination for the office of District Governor, and his election was agreed to by acclamation.

The Conference recorded appreciation of the delightful manner of the Japanese delegate, who recognised the visit of a New r Zealand delegation to Japan in 1928 by a gift of a bronze bust to Mr Rhodes.

Short addresses were given by the overseas Rotarians, Dr. Otto Monson and Elgin Stoddard. Both acknowledged the wonderful reception they had received in New Zealand and Australia.

Dr. Monson, commeriting on a statement that the United States was the home of Rotary, said that it was Britain 'that drew Rotary across the border line and made it International.

The majority of the delegates and their wives left for their homes this afternoon.