PATRIOTIC FUND

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 241, 22 November 1940, Page 5

PATRIOTIC FUND

APPEAL FOR £1,000,000

SUGGESTION BY ORGANISES*

"Is it too much to ask every worker in New Zealand to give two days' pay to the patriotic funds?" asked Mr J. Abel, Dominion organiser of the current £1,000,000 patriotic fund appealy in Wellington, when urging universal support for' the campaign. "We in New Zealand have not yet been touched by the war," Mr Abe] went on. "So fan, our security and our economic status liavo remained, absolutely unimpaired, and practically no demands have been made- upon our pei-sonal resources to help the men who are overseas doing the real job of winning the war. "We know that there are thousands of people in the country who are ready and eager to give, and give generously, in this best of all causes and our the campaign throughout the various provincial patriotic councils is designed to give them that opportunity. There are many others who have not yet fully realised their responsibilities. Our soldiers are the

front-line of the nation's war effort, and Ave are. expected to form the second line of defence, or the home

front; and unless we carry out these functions faithfully and efficiently we are simply letting our country down. The question has been asked:

'How -much should we give?' After careful consideration , this can be simply answered. In* New Zealand

to-day the Avage and salary bill is in the vicinity of £10,000,000 a month. If we calculate on the basis of a 40-hour week} we can. readily see that in order to gain our objective we need only two day's pay from every wage and salary earner in New Zealand. Two daj- r s* pay from everyone will give us our million'. I say unhesitatingly that it is little enough to ask„ and I do not think there is a person in New Zealand who can justifiably refuse this small request." : Mr • Abel added that he did not pretend that everyone would find the two days' pay in one sum,, but he suggested that it could easily he spread over the whole period of the appeal or in whatever way it was found easiest to manage. The basis of the idea was that salaries and wages to-day,-from the highest man ager and director to the lowest paid boy or girl, represented approximately £500,000 a day, and if ever}'one did their bit the .goal of the million pounds wouid soon be in sight.