GERALDINE “ON TO VICTORY” APPEAL

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22493, 30 January 1943, Page 3

GERALDINE “ON TO VICTORY” APPEAL

Patriotic Fund Budget

Geraldine-Temuka To Raise £9200

An effort to raise a sum of £253,000 lor the "On to Victory” Appeal will be made in Canterbury this year, the chairman (Mr D. C. McKechnie) reported at a conference of district patriotic chairmen with the GeraldineTemuka Zone Patriotic Committee last evening. The quota for the GeraldineTemuka zone would be approximately £9200, he said.

The 1942-43 budget of the National Patriotic Fund Board provided for a total estimated expenditure of £1,129,500 or £12,700 more than was budgeted last year, said Mr McKechnie. A summary of the estimates with the total expenditure of the Board for the last year in parentheses in each case was as follows: General Account, £587,000 (£552,526); Sick and Wounded, £114,000 (£111,034); Prisoners of War Account, £448,500 (£231,398). These figures showed that the total expenditure last year was £894,958. When last year’s conference was held, he said, only 80,000 men were under arms, both overseas and in New Zealand. Tire number was now in the vicinity of 160,000, having increased 140,000 in April of this year. The number of New Zealand prisoners of war had also increased considerably, as also had the number of recreation institutes and huts built and maintained by the Board, the respective increases being: Prisoners of war 3500 to 8500, recreation huts and institutes 49 to 248. One of the most Important decisions made by the conference, he continued, was to approach the Government with a view to securing some relief from the heavy burden now being carried by the patriotic funds. This arose out of remits urging taxation or a subsidy to assist in raising the money required. The conference overwhelmingly rejected any idea of raising funds by special taxation and passed the following resolution: “That this meeting disagrees with the principal of raising money for the All-purposes Appeal by taxation, and recommends that the Government be asked to pay to the patriotic funds the amount required for prisoners of war food parcels, recreation huts in camps and such other matters as may be decided upon.” It was agreed that the quota for the Geraldine-Temuka Zone be divided equally, and that the raising of the amounts be left to the two inter-zone committees.

NATIONAL SAVINGS Geraldine still maintains its good record for National Savings collections. and the flag, signifying that the Geraldine quota of £l6B in the National Savings Campaign had been gained, was hoisted on Friday morning. Up to 9 o’clock yesterday morning £2OO had been received for the week. PAY OF CANTEEN WORKERS At a Geraldine-Temuka Zone conference it was agreed that inquiries be made regarding the rates of pay and ranks of full-time canteen and recreation hut workers in the respective organisations in the camps. TOWN AND COUNTRY FAIR The combined town and country fair to be held in Geraldine at Easter was discussed at a meeting of the Geraldine Inter-zone Patriotic Committee. Discussion revealed that most districts wished to take part and share the proceeds on a pro rata basis. Mr P. H. Davis said that it was thought that up to £3OOO would be raised and he felt that most districts would want to share in the proceeds. It was left to each district to decide whether they wished to take part in the combined fair and share in the proceeds.