PEACE-TIME COLLECTION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 227, 24 September 1940, Page 9

PEACE-TIME COLLECTION.

The recent appeal for the Sick, Wounded and Distress Fund wae launched under the joint auspices of the New Zealand Red Cross Society and Order of St. John. It was a Dominion effort, and the total collected was over £252,000. As there was a definite misunderstanding regarding the co-ordina-tion of the two bodies, the joint council of the two organisations recently made a clarifying statement, pointing out that the joint council had been appointed by the National Patriotic Fund Board i as the authorised collector for the Sick and Wounded Fund, all moneys collected .being paid to the National Patriotic I Fund Board. It was arranged that the various committees, and sub-committees of the joint council, should be provided , w itb. funds from which to carry out their war work, the work, however, only to be done from time to time as requested by the headquarters of the joint council. It was also pointed out that the ordinary work of the Order of St. John- and the New Zealand Red Cross Society, would carry on as in peace-time, but branches of bo'.'s organisations, when advertising functions, were to etate clearly that it was for their peace-time activities and not for the Sick and Wounded Fund. The joint council has pointed out that it is legal to continue to receive money for the Sick and Wounded Fund, but it is not in accordance with the agreement with the National Patriotic Fund Board for the joint council, or its representatives, to permit or condone any arrangements, publicly or privately, to raise funds for the sick and wounded, until such time as permission is granted by the National Patriotic Board.

A number of Red Cross shops are operating under local sub-centre control, and are raising their own funds.