ALLAYING CONCERN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 227, 18 October 1940, Page 5

ALLAYING CONCERN

CREDITING DONATIONS TO PATRIOTIC FUNDS •COUNTRY SUBSCRIPTIONS TO TOWN LIST « Concern has been expressed by ;the chairmen of several of the patriotic committees at 'the: crediting to the: borough's -quota of several substantial subscriptions from residents in areas; subscriptions acknowledged in the BEACON, which list is the official one for the borough. / * •It is claimed that as the various •districts are expected to raise the amount allocated to them on a population basis, contribution to the borough fund from those in their areas materially affects the realisation of their allotments, and there is justice in ; claim when it is remembered of the larger 'donations to ine BEACON fund • came from districts which have still to raise their quotas. It is intended to hold a meeting in the near future, when it will be •suggested that the borough list .should be handed to the Inter-Zone ♦Committee's secretary for the allotiment to the ; dist/icts concerned of tlfose subscriptions in question. The Borough's Effort. If the suggestion is adopted, the in the amount credited to the borough will serve one purpose, •at least. The citizens of this bright town will find that between them they have contributed little more -than each of two of the country districts have so far collected. Backpatting will be at a discount wheij the figures are published. The. enthusiasm displtyyed in such -districts as Thornton, Edgecumbc) Te Teko, Waimana, Ruatoki, Otakiri, Taneatua and others is not .generated in the town, upon which a mantle of complacency falls after a short-lived, initial effort.

A protest has been made that the -allocation for the .borough, £1125, is too heavy: thai i,s, in comparison with district quotas. It should again be stressed that the amounts called €or from the various areas which -go to make the zone, are minimum .amounts and it was not considered that patriotic committees should con fine their objectives to the sums named. Jn Fairness. There are, platitude or not, two rsides to every question. The allocations were made on a population basis and in fairness to "the town it must be pointed out that,there iare many residents with Ja very , limited income—wage-earn-ers, and low wages in many cases. It would not be logical to expect ~ the same contributions from them as from the majority of farmers and in this respect it could be claimed by the bor-< ougjh that the population basis of allocations is unfair. It would, seem that the idea, of fixing the sums to be raised, although it has its obvious points, also liasjts drawbacks and it might perhaps have been better had the people of the zones, the provinces, and -of New Zealand been trus.ted to giv.i freely without wearing the stifling •cloak of systematic urging.