PATRIOTIC COMMITTEES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11670, 10 April 1916, Page 2

PATRIOTIC COMMITTEES.

SOUTHBRIDGE,

The South bridge Patriotic Committee met on Thursday evening to receive the statement of accounts in connection with the gala held on St Patrick's Day. Mr E. G. Hubbard presided over a good attendance. The statement of accounts gave the total receipts as £398 9s (id, and the expenditure as £7 3s lOd, leaving a credit of £B9l os 6"d. The secretary reported that of a sum of £4OO 16s 6d he had in hand prior to tho gala, £4OU had been paid into the bank to the credit of the Ellesmere County Patriotic Fund. The committee at present had a .sum of £945 19s 6cl in hand. Mention was mado of the further effort to be made on Monday evening, on the occasiou of "Ye Dunmow Flitch " performance at the Southbridge Town Hall, and it was decided to make every effort to increase the balance in hand to £IOOO. Hearty votes of thanks were accorded all who had assisted to make the gala so successful. Mr J. .11. M'Millan apologised for the absence of Mr .1. C. Free, and on his behalf introduced the question, of the tmtorta.v.iUM'nc. of soldiers leaving for and returning from the front. Mr Free way anxious that the Patriotic Committee should take the matter in hand, as at present, there was no committee holding itself responsible for the entertainment of soldiers. Messrs Willis and Cowan and the Rov J. Hawkins spoke strongly in favour of tho proposal, and it was unanimously decided that the conrmitteo should undertake the responsibility of seeing that every soldier leaving the district received a fitting send-off.