A MISUNDERSTANDING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 195, 5 August 1940, Page 4

A MISUNDERSTANDING

(Joint Council of the Order of St. John and N.Z. Red Cross Society Sick and Wounded Appeal. National Patriotic Fund Board) Sir,—As there is throughout the Dominion a definite misunderstanding regarding the work and the coordination of the above bodies, the following statement is issued on behalf of the National Patriotic Fund Board and the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and N.Z. Red Cross Society, with a view to clarifying the position, and space is sought in your valued paper to that end. The Joint Council lias been appointed by the National Patriotic Fund Board as the authorised collector lor the Sick and Wounded Fund, all moneys collected being paid to the National Patriotic Fund Board. The Joint Council has also been appointed the only authorised expending agent of the Sick and Wonnded Fund; that is to say the Joint Council actually carries out the work of the Board in connection with the sick and wounded. The Natipnal Patriotic Fund Board in the early clays of the w r ar, decided that moneys should be raised in the order in Avliich they would be expended. Consequently they authorised first the Fighting Services Ap-I peal (for the comforts of troops over seas), which was held in May, and second the Sick and Wounded Appeal Avliich iias recently been completed. Arrangements have now been made between the National Patriotic Fund Board and the Provincial Patriotic Councils that no further National appeals will be made by independent bodies, and all future appeals will be made by the Provincial Patriotic Councils, The next appeal will be that of the Provincial Patriotic Councils for rehabilitation, or I the care of the men upon their reI turn. I The wonderful response made by !the people of New Zealand to the appeal -for the Sick and Wounded has been inspiring. The original amount aimed at —£250,000—has been doubly subscribed, and, as far as can be foreseen, sufficient moneys are now in hand for this phase of the work. The various Committees and SubCommittees of the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and N.Z. Red Cross Society will be provided with funds from which to carry out their war work, on application ; being made to their Centre. The work should, however, only 13e done as is requested from time to time by the Headquarters of the Joint Council, which is supplied with the information of what actual work is required l)y requests from overseas, and by requests-from the Director-Gen-eral of Medical Services. It will bfc realised that making goods in excess of the actual requirements, plus a reasonable reserve, is at the present time a waste of good material. Ths National Patriotic Fund Board. and the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and N.Z.,Red Cross Society desire to record their sincere thanks to the various committees throughout the whole of New Zealand who have worked so wholeheartedly for the success of the appeal, and to request them not to disband but to make their services available to their local Patriotic Committees throughout the Dominion. The ordinary work of the Order of St. John and also of the N.Z. Red Cross Society will carry on as in peace-time, but branches of both organisations, when advertising functions, are to state clearly and definitely that they, are for their peacetime activities, and not for the Sick and Wounded Fund. As pointed out above, the appeal for the latter Fund is completed, and any further moneys that may be required will be the subject of announcement in due course by the National Patriotic Fund Board. ALEXANDER GILLIES, Chairman, Joint Council of the Order of St. John and N.Z. Red Cross Society. J. ABEL, Hon. Organiser and Dominion Treasurer of the Joint Council of the Order of St. John arid N.Z. Red Cross Society. GEO. A. HAYDEN, Secretary, National Patriotic Fund Board.