“CENTURY’’ SCROLLS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 231, 30 September 1943, Page 4

“CENTURY’’ SCROLLS

PRESENTED TO DISTRICT COMMITTEES WAR SAVINGS FUNCTION AT WANGANUI “This ceremony marks another unique feature, the achievement of 100 unbroken quota successes, or victories in the battie for quotas, by four centres in your district—Wanganui Cjty, Aramoho, Hunterville and Marton. The record is in keeping with that other high honour so richly earned by one of Wanganui’s gallant sons, Sergeant J. A. Ward, V.C., of affectionate and revered memory, and the magnificent lead and continued support given to the War Savings movement by his parents,” said the chairman of the New Zealand War Savings Committee, Mr. T. N. Smallwood, yesterday afternoon at the civic gathering on the Rutland Hotel balcony in commemoration of the hundredth successive National War Savings quotas attained by centres in the Wanganui postal district. “We are particularly pleased to have at this gathering the chairmen and members of representative committees, so that I can. on behalf of the New Zealand National War Savings Committee, pay tribute to their efficiency and zeal and express our congratulations and share with them the just feeling of pride in their achievements and pay honour where honour is due,” continued Mr. Smallwood. “'I e meet together in a period of achievements, and can rejoice together that, after many sacrifices and much anxiety through four grim years of war in which our enemies, prepared down to the last details, were held at bay. even through disaster and retreat, by heroism, gallantry and high human courage and untold sacrifices to human blood, the mightiest scenes in human history are to be revealed through the fully marshalled forces of the Allied nations in the unrelenting. • irresistible pressure of shining trutn and liberty against the black forces lof lies and slavery. I say we are right to rejoice in the success of our Allied arms throughout th? long road from Libya to Naples, in the now fruitful campaign in the Pacific, and in the successes of our magnificent ally, Russia, v\ hose record, I am sure, will, when fully told, amaze the world. “We rejoice, not with unbridled egotism, but with that sense of proportion which recognises that, although the tide has Turned in our favour, complete success can only be achieved by not letting up for one single moment on the home front in every activity and effort needed for complete victory. To us has been entrusted the economic front, also described as the battle of the inflatory gap, which demands measures- of efficiency and sacrifice to ensure that the success of our armies on the battlefronts shall not be lost by our unworthiness to win the peace. It. is of this phase.” said Mr. Smallwood, “that I feel it is appropriate to speak now. “All th*' nations now engaged in this bloody strife know full well of this tremendous danger on their own home fronts, this lurking, hidden enemy of every man, woman and child, if such a vitally important mat-, ter of keeping our money supply under control by taxes and savings is allowed to lag. You have heard a great deal of this during the Thirdy Liberty Izoan campaign, of which we have , proud memories, but when I mention that the immediately available spending power of the people increased since September. 1939, from £54,000,000 to £121,000,000 in March, 1943, an increase equal to 67 per cent., you will realise, 1 think, what this enemy is, in view of the ever-diminishing quantities of goods available for consumption. One prominent American statesmaji well described this as dangerous money. ‘We,’ he says, ‘control the purse strings, not our Governments. and we must decide whether this spending power shall evaporate into a mist of meaningless figures or go into War Savings and War Bonds for future use. To win on the battlefield and lose at home through inflation is to give ourselves, and the boys at the front alike, a dirty deal.’ It was to meet this enemy on the economic front that the New Zealand National War Savings Committee came into being and nailed its flag (the Thrift. Banner) to the mast and recruited its first battalions from the Post Office organisers and Trustee Savings Banks. And yeoman service they did. The call to swell our ranks went out and resulted in the formation of some 200 local War Savings Committees, of which the members here present have taken such a leading part. In saying this I must pay tribute to the inspiration and lead of Mr. A. R. Donaldson, the first chairman of the Wanganui Committee, together with the fruitful work of the organiser, Mr. J. Gillick. “The organisers and committees have been responsible for the formation of some 8000-odd savings groups, which my committee considers one of the most effective methods of infiltration in the enemy ranks, and these groups are responsible for the enlistment of 150,000 accounts in our cause. Individual outside National War Savings accounts number a further 247,00, making a total of 397,000 accounts in the Dominion, together with 200,00 b holders of bonds.

“As I have said,” continued Mr. Smallwood “we regard the group accounts as most effective because they reveal a greater proportion of steady savers whose accounts are on active service in the truest sense. Of the others, some of the accounts remind us of a letter received by the English Treasury, somewhat on the following lines: ‘Dear Sir, —Ten years ago, I omitted to pay you £lOO. Conscience pricks me and I send you herewith 10s on account. When it pricks again I shall send you some more.’ It is to deal with this aspect we have our regular campaigns, and I might tell you our next offensive starts in October. “National War Savings •organisers and committees will have b c en responsible for the raising of nearly £18.000,000 by the end of this month, and this total w, :; l, we anticipate, reach £20,000.000 by the end of the financial year. 1 am sure you will agree with m n that these organisers and committees. particularly the calibre we have in this fair e’.ty and district, are worthy of a place of honour on the Dominion’s Home Front Scroll. Although th r re may be individuals who do not pull their ueight. New Zenlanaers collectively have not failed vet to over-subscribe every single War Loan offered by the Government. “It is with this proud knowledge,” concluded Mr. Smallwood, “that I proceed to hand these scrolls of honour to the chairmen of the Wanganui, Aramoho, Huntcndlle and Marton War Savings Committees, and to nroudly recognise tho high standard of the peon’e of this district of Wanganui. embr.-win" as it does centres. May these emblems of faith —that shining thin o- in the souls of fre? men—ever inspire the determination in vour neonl? to nroi’dlv achieve thei” National War Savings quotas ur 4: l victory is ours.” Mr. Smallwood then presented,

commemorative scrolls to Mr. G. B. Gregory (Hunterville), Miss E, N. Sampson (Aramoho), Mr. C. S. Beechey (Marton) and Mr. W. J. Gilberd (Wanganui), each of whom briefly returned thanks. Mr. P. Cutforth, who represented ithe Director-General of the P. and T. Department (Mr. J. G. Young), replying, said that the Director-General was very proud of the efforts attained by the War Savings Committees throughout the Dominion. He extended hearty congratulations to the Wanganui City, Aramoho, Hunterville and Marton committees. Only hard work and enthusiasm could have brought abiut such a splendid performance, he said.

Mr. J. J. Scott (Denuty Mayor of Wanganui), who presided over the large and representative gathering, said that ho wished to apologise for the unavoidable absence of Mr. J. C. Young (Director-General of the P. and T. Department), Mr. W. J. Rogers (Mayor of Wanganui), Mr. C. S. Jeffs (president of the Chamber of Commerce), Mr. W. J. Gilbert (president of the Wanganui Rotary Club) and Mr. F. Purnell (Mayor of Merton). In moving a vote of thanks to the Deputy Mayor and members of the New Zealand National War Savings Committee, Mr. P. Higginbottom, on behalf of the Wanganui War Loan Committee, said that the success of all the War Loans launched in Wan*ganui had been due in no small measure to the co-operation of the Wanganui National War Savings Committee.

During the proceedings items were given by the Waiouru Military Band, under Drum-Major W.0.2 Crist artd Corporal O'Hara. Members of the Wanganui Boys’ Choir (under the conductorship of Mr. J. Puryer) sang “Land of Hope and Glory” and “There’ll Always Be An England.”

At the conclusion the visitors were entertained afternoon tsa.