MEMORIAL COLUMN FUND FOR RELIEF

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18548, 23 August 1928, Page 4

MEMORIAL COLUMN FUND FOR RELIEF

R.S.A. HAS PROPOSAL FOR USING THE MONEY. The following resolution has been forwarded to Mr George Gould, chairman of the War Memorial Column Fund, by the executive of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association, and Mr Gould has acknowledged its receipt, intimating that he will call a meeting of his committee to consider the executive’s suggestions as soon as possible:— “ That this executive places on record its very deep appreciation of the work of the Christchurch War Memorial Column Committee in collecting funds to provide a suitable memorial to those who made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War. In view, however, of the fact that since the conclusion of the war there has been a great deal of unemployment and distress among returned soldiers, this committee is of the opinion that the best form of memorial would be the establishment of a fund for the purpose of providing employment for returned soldiers, and for the relief of distress among returned' soldiers and their dependents.” The executive met on Monday night to discuss in Mr Gould’s open letter through the newspapers, published on July 27. Those sugges tions were that, as £BOOO was now available, £SOO could be spent on a simple cross or cenotaph, erected preferably on the Godley plot, the balance to be used to create a fund under the title of “ The Soldiers’ Memorial Column Trust ”; of the income, one-fourth to be capitalised and three-fourths used for the relief of persons suffering hardship as a result of the war, and ultimately for some such purpose as the Coal and Blanket Fund ministers to. With the resolution the R.S.A. forwarded the following suggested form of a permanent memorial fund, for the consideration of the Memorial Committee:— (1) The establishment of a trust to be called the Christchurch War Memorial Column Fund.

(2) The personnel of such trust shall consist of seven members, i.e,, the Mayor of Christchurch for the time being, three members to be appointed by the Memorial Column Committee, and three members to be appointed by the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association. The Town Clerk for the time being to be appointed secretary and treasurer of the trust.

(3) All assets at present held by the Memorial Column Committee, with the exception of those referred to in para6, shall be vested in the trust, to be administered in the manner set out in paragraph 4.

(4) The interest each year to be paid to the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association for the purpose of:—(a) Providing work for unemployed returned soldiers, and (b) for the relief of distress among returned soldiers and their dependents. It is understood that moneys for the relief of unemployment shall, where possible, be handed to local .bodies on a subsidy basis. (51 The Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association shall render a detailed statement to the trust quarterly, showing how the money paid to the association has been expended. (6) A sum up to, but not exceeding £IOOO, to be set aside for the purpose of the erection and maintenance of a suitable memorial to those who made the supreme sacrifice during the war, the form of such memorial and th® cost thereof to be decided by the War Memorial Column Committee as at present constituted.

(7) If, in the opinion of the trust after a period of ten years, the relief of distress or relief of unemployment does not warrant the expenditure of the whole of the income, the trust shall be empowered to devote such income or any part thereof as it may deem lit in providing comforts for the inmates of soldiers’ veterans’ homes or for soldiers and their dependents in needy circumstances.

The R.S.A. executive has intimated to Mr Gould that it would appreciate the opportunity of meeting his committee in a conference over the matter.