PATRIOTIC FUND

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 99, 21 August 1945, Page 4

PATRIOTIC FUND

COLLECTIONS TO CEASE WELFARE FUND TOTALS £10 000 At a meeting of the Whakatane Patriotic Zone Executive last Friday it was decided! to finalise all collecting activities in the various sub-dis trie and to request, all com'rtiittees to complete their accounts and hold their books in readiness for a Government audit in October. "This meeting is held under the happiest circumstances " said Mr J. L. the chairman. '1 am sure that throughout the war period the committee has served a very useful and vital and in some respects 1 will be sorry to see it cease to function with the coming of peace. I fully expect to see the funds in hand secured under some sort of trusteeship to administrate under the Welfare Scheme which we have planned." Mr Burnett went on to say that if we were to have the same experience that followed the last ten or fifteen years would elapse before the 'burnt out' cases appeared, and then the Welfare Fund could be utilised to the full. He expressed his personal thanks to all "who had assisted with Patriotic efforts in any shape or form and added that the war had drawn town and country interests closer together than ever before. The secretary (Mr C. G. Lucas) stated that the monies now in hand antl further amounts still to be handed in by the various committees he estimated that there would be well! over £10,000 in all for use as a I Welfare Fund. There were several districts which had still to find their quotas for the year but he 'knew of others who had funds in readiness to hand in. In view of the total he did not think the committee would be justified in asking the public for more.

The question of whether 01 not all districts should be asked ts. complete their current quotas was discussed at some lengthy Mr Kadcliffe contending that unless that was done f it would be unfair to those committees which h'ad already made the effort.

Mr Spence said it was not the fault of committees who had not yet reached their quota, that the war ended halfway through the year.

Mr Barry said that he thought the Borough and Oliope would meet their quota to the full,, but he considered it futile to. endeavour to carry out the present appeal now that peace had been declared.

Mr RadclifTe: Don't you think we are a bit premature. The lighting hasn't stopped yet. We should not disband our committees..

The chairman: There is no question of dissolving our organisation yet. I think we should hold it together until something official is announced.

It was then decided to Tease col lecting as stated above.

In answer to a question from the Manawahe Committee as *to the qualifications of those servicemen seeking' benefit from the Welfare Fund the chairman said that each case was judged on its merits. No reasonable requests were turned down. It was never intended to make pro rata payments to all men returning from overseas*. Allocations would only be made in cases of hardship. All servicemen were eligible whether they had served in the Middle East Pacific or in New Zealand.

Reporting on the recent appeal on behalf of U.N.R.yR.A* for clothing, the secretary reported that be had learnt from Mrs Moran 23 cases and one sack of U.N.R.R.A. clothing had been and consigned to Stores Control, Ministry of Auckland., Three cases of U.N.iR.R.A. clothing were consigned from Waimana and enquiries as to the consignment of U.N.R.R,A clothing had been received from Edgecumbe and other centres.

Closing the meeting the chairman said that it would be necessary to meet again after the District Council had met. In his opinion they still had a part to fulfil. If thie district desired to set up a memorial of some form or otbor he I new of no organisation better suited to

carry out such an undertaking than the Patriotic Committees,