RETURNED SOLDIERS

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXX, Issue 164, 20 July 1935, Page 7

RETURNED SOLDIERS

WAIPAWA ANNUAL MEETING ELECTION OF OFFICERS The annual meeting of the Waipawa and District Returned Soldiers’ Association was held in the Borough Council meeting room on Thursday evening, Mr. H. T. Limbrick (president) presiding over an attendance of some thirty members. The annual report and balancesheet were adopted on the motion of the president. In speaking to his motion, Mr. Limbrick said that it was very necessary that steps be taken to increase the membership if the branch was to keep going. Next year •would be the 21st. anniversaiy of Anzac Day, and he hoped that by then the branch would be as strong as it had been in the past. The bal-ance-sheet disclosed a sum of £l6 5/4 in the accumulated fund. The election of officers resulted as follows: —President, Mr. H. T. Limbrick (re-elected); vice-president, Mr G. Taylor (re-elected); hon. auditor, Mr. N. I. Nielson; secretary, Mr. E. W. Chisholm; assistant-secretary, Mr. F. Eagle; hon. solicitor, Mr. C. G. E. Harker; committee, Messrs. G. Fox, H. W. Gallagher, W. A. Sawyer and R. Wynn; country representatives, Messrs. R. Pilcher (Otane), N. Taylor (Elsthorpe), L. W. Simpson (Onga Onga) and T. O’Rourke (Tikokino). The appointment of a representative at Omakere was left to the committee. A letter of appreciation is to be sent to Sir Andrew Russell for his services as president of the association. The subscription was fixed at the same as last year, 5/-, with a rebate of 2/- for registered unemployed. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr. F. Eagle for his services as secretary, and he was voted an honorarium. The auditor, Mr. Nielson, was also voted an honorarium. Mr. Harker advised that the Orchestral Society had offered to run an old-time ball in aid of the funds of the branch. The offer was accepted and a letter of thanks is to be forwarded to Mr. E. J. Maher. A resolution was carried without dissent that the annual re-union be held as usual, the date to be arranged by the committee. Unemployed Ex-Servicemen.

Some discussion took place on the question of payment for subsidised labour, Mr. Eagle pointing out that at the present time private employers paid 5/- per day and the branch subsidised this by 5/-. He considered that employers should be asked to increase their share to, say, 7/- per day. It was finally resolved that where the employer was a civilian he pay 7/-, and the branch 5/-. Where the employer is a returned soldier he •would pay 6/- and the branch subsidy would be 6/-. In connection with assistance given to unemployed returned men at Otane it was resolved that all applications must be lodged with Mr. McDougall before the work is commenced. A letter is to be forwarded to the Hawke’s Bay War Relief Association

entering a strong protest against the suggestion that smaller branches be amalgamated. Messrs. Eagle and Limbrick considered that such a course would be a retrograde step, as the association would lose contact ined men whose object it was to assist. Votes of thanks to the returning officers concluded a very successful meeting.