PATRIOTIC FUNDS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 181, 17 November 1941, Page 5

PATRIOTIC FUNDS

METHOD OF ALLOCATION

PROTEST FROM WAINUI

A recent meeting of the district committee at Wainui which willl be responsible for the collection of the new Patriotic Fund allocation of £16,000 over the whole of Inter-zone 'K' (Whakatane County and Borough), voiced a vigorous protest against the method which it was understood would be the basis of collection. The result was that a strong proteslt was recorded against collection upon a population basis and the chairman, Mr R. Riddle, and two members were! detailed' to make their views public by giving a statement to the 'press* The unfairness of the population basis was considered by the committee to be distinctly crippling to the whole scheme of collection, and it was maintained that a hetter and more equitable method would have been on an assessment plan covering the financial position of the residents of the district. This it was claimed would be in total agreement with tha Government -undertaking to conscript wealth on the same basis of the conscription of man-power. It was pointed out that a man with a small farm with a family of eight, would on a population basis be expected to find nearly three times as much as the man on a large farm with only three of a family. The whole construction, they claimed, was unfair and likely to. lead to trouble. The speaker took care to point out that the committee was keen to fulfil its quota to the full. All the Miaori farmers in that district were intensely loyal and only desired a more correct method of raising the sum required. It was not right that the man struggling along with a large family and heavy responsibilities should be expected to pay two and three times as much as the man who was practically independent. SECRETARY'S EXPLANATION ASSESSMENT OF WEALTH PERMISSIBLE Reference to the above position to the secretary of the In-ter-zone Patriotic Committee, Mr C. G. Lucas, on Thursday revealed! the' fact that the committee would have the light if it so desired! to collect its quota on, whichever basis it considered best. An assessment of the average residents financial position wtais possibly the best way and it was therefore left to the committees discretion to act accordingly. The sum of £16,000 was roughly £1 per head on a population basis when spread over the Whakatane and Opotiki areas, and this sura would be fairly allocated throughout. the various districts. The following percentages were fixed at the last meeting of the Zone Committee.: Matata 4 per cent Manawahe 3 per cent Thornton 4 per cent Otaluri 4 per cent Te Tekoi 4 per cent Eldgecumbe 10 per cent Awakeri 5 per cent Ngatiawa Patriotic Committee 5 per cent Opouriao and Taneatua -12 per cent Ruatoki 4 per cent Wainui 2 per cent Whakatane Boro. and Oliop 3 30 per cent. ' Galatea 2 per cent Waimana 7 per cent Te Whaiti 2 per cent Ruatahuna 2 per cent The district committees with their local knowledge were appointed to collect the monies and if they desired could collect according to the means of the individual. In any case it was the intention of the Interzone Committee, to meet before Christmas when questions such as the above could be fully investigate ed and discussed.