PUBLIC OPINION AID FOR BRITAIN

Wanganui Chronicle, 30 January 1948, Page 7

PUBLIC OPINION AID FOR BRITAIN

The report in your issue of today of the meeting of the Aid For Britain Committee, in which is has been laid down that the expense of the effort is not to exceed £5OO per annum, may be all right as far as it goes, but the information given is still most unsatisfactory from the public’s point of view and is so vague as to give the impression of secrecy over the whole matter.

The report now states that the £5OO to the secretary is to include his salary and- the employment of staff, etc. The information desired by the public is the definite amount that is to be paid for salary and the limit to be placed on the other expenses. The employment of other staff by the secretary, to my mind, does not come into the picture. Usually all practising secretaries have an office and staff they consider necessary for carrying on their business as a secretary. As many secretaryships as are available are sought at a mutually acceptable fee, and his staff is increased as the necessity arises. It is surely a new departure, for a ecretary’s own staff to be employed by the various organisations for whom he acts. A practising secretary is rather different from rhe position of secretary of a company, which employs him at full time and provides office and full time office staff.

It is now.some four months since the committee was formed and I have not heard of a single parcel having been sent to Britain by the committee, so that the expenses of the organisation up to date, even if limited to £5OO per annum have been heavy for the collection of some meat coupons and these were being collected regularly and at no cost previously. It is public money' that is being expended and the public is being appealed to for the parcels so the public is entitled to be told how the £5OO is to be allocated—how much for secretary’s salary, how much for his staff, how much for printing and stationery etc., although secretary’s staff should be entirely provided for him out of the sum it is agreed to pay him. An amount to cover everything is too vague altogether. As mentoned in a previous letter £5OO would have provided a .large number of parcels under the existing voluntary systems and if the various organisations continue to collect and send their parcels independently I am afraid the Aid for Britain Committee will not be overworked. —I am, etc., "MORE LIGHT.” January 29, 1948.

At a meeting bn Wednesday night the Wanganui Central and District Aid for Britain committee approved of £5OO, which has been allocated by the Aid for Britain National Council (Wellington) to cover the expenses of the campaign in this district. Similar amounts have been allocated to other districts. The Wanganui committee has asked its finance committee to bring down a report as to how the money is' to be spent—how much on the secretary’s salary and other items. Prestfinably, that report, when it is brought down, will be available for publication. The personnel of . the Finance Committee is: The Mayor (Hon. W. J. Rogers, M.L.C.), the Chief Postmaster (Mr. W. R. Stuckey), Messrs. E. F- Laws (R.S.A.). and W. J. Gilberd. The Mayor is chairman. —Editor.