United Nations Appeal For Children Opened At Whakatane

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 36, 9 April 1948, Page 5

United Nations Appeal For Children Opened At Whakatane

Disappointing in numbers, but rich in representation of the district’s business, charitable and administrative organisations, a public meeting convened by the Mayor, Mr B. S Barry at the' Parish Hall on Tuesday night took preliminary steps to organise the local effort in the United Nations appeal for children.

After the Mayor had outlined the object of the appeal and stressed its importance, the meeting resolved, at Mr Barry’s suggestion and on the motion of Mr C. Kingsley-Smith, to set up an organisation similar to the wartime patriotic committees. Opening the meeting, Mr Barry said he had no doubt that the district would uphold its wartime record of /service and generosity. After ! reading a circular jointly signed by the Prime Minister and pealing for the fullest public cooperation, Mr Barry said the general idea was to raise money by direct giving, and the standard aimed at was one day’s wages or one day’s earnings from everyone in the community. Children Get It All There was a guarantee that the whole of the gross amount raised would go to relieve distress amongst child victims of the war. The New Zealand Government would stand the whole cost of the national appeal, and local bodies were to stand the local costs. Internationally, the United Nations would stand cost of distribution. Helping Future Citizens Mr Barry asked his hearers to consider what the position of their own children might have been had this... been ravaged by war and put their hearts and cash into the appeal accordingly. In helping these children, he said, we were helping citizens of the future, were contributing to a better understanding amongst nations to thereby doing our small part in building a war-free world.

He recalled that for patriotic appeals each centre throughout the district had had its committee, sending delegates to a Central Committee, and that seemed the best plan for this occasion. So far as the Borough was concerned, Mr Barry suggested that the best means of appeal was by direct, personal approach. Assurances of Help Those present gave assurances of active support from Awakeri, Te Teko, Taneatua, Waimana, Thornton, Ohope, and Otakiri, as well as from the Red Cross Society, Registhe Leader of the Opposition aptered Nurses’ Association, St. John Ambulance Association, Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Scouts, Guides, Women’s Institute, R.S.A. and School Committee. It was agreed that a further meeting of delegates from those organ- : isations and districts would have to be called and, in the meantime, ; it was left to the country districts to form their own committees and ; to Mr R. T. Morpeth, president of : the Chamber of Commerce, to get : that body to convene another meeting to establish the Borough organ- ; isations and prepare to start the campaign. , Consideration of a suggestion that business houses might make , appeals to their employees for a day’s wages and put in a day’s l profits to go with it was deferred for the later meeting.