Subsidy Worries For War Veterans

Chronicle (Levin), 5 March 1948, Page 4

Subsidy Worries For War Veterans

j - The Levin branch of the R.S.A. has -a problem 011 Its hafids. | Anxious to erect the proposed war | memorial hall and club rooms withlout havirig to involve the local i bodies in the scheme, it has from Ithe star't taken the project 011 its own shoulders. . After four long years a substantial amount has collected for a buildirig fund, but now, with the" last lap to g'o, the branch may find itself baulked by Government bed tape. j Apparently under the -legislation [ governing the ere?tiOn of war: l memorials, no Government sab- j [sidy can be obtained- J-without---an: assurance that the control of the - building is vested in a local body. 1 This the R.S.A, is unwilling to do. I Its attitude is that it should retaiii j control -of the building. With this in view, it has .sought, through considerpble correspondence with the Minister of Internal Affairs, to have the legislation relaxed, *'Claiming that the branch's is an exceptional case owing to the fact that the vast major.ity of the amount on 1 hand was raised before" the regulations' were brought down, -and donors were.assured — and in many cases they insisted— that the whole of the control of the building wouid be in the R.S.A.'s hands. 1

4 I 'Sorne months back the Levin jBoroUgh Council and the executive ]Of t'he R.S.A.4 held a full discussion roU the matter, culmmating in a jsuggestion -being made to the Min[ister that the council" be the let- ; ting agents, with the R.S.A. still j-the owners until such a time as it j c'eased t'o function as such, or on a ij-udge of the Supreme Court soI ruling that it would he in the best ! interes'ts of all concerned for a I transfer of ownership to be. made. ' At the quarterly general meeting :of the branch on Tuesday night a I reply was received from' the Minis/ter,-- s't-ating that this coiild not "be approved and that 110 departure [ could be made from the origihal I regulations. 'This ruling; however, is not going to be accepted by the branch, and a suggestion was made at" the' meeting that more support be obtained from the local bodies, the R.S.A. Dominion executive- and 1 other interested groups. After some ! discussion, it was agreed that the : matter was not urgent at the i moment, ' and-could wait. 5 The president, -Mr. N. M. Thom- ; son, said that before the branch : obtained a permit to build, the| Government might alter its policy i or there might, perhaps be a [

change of Government. Anything might happen, and he supported, waiting until a more opportune time before pressing the matter. The subsidy around which all this negotiation has been centred is a £1 fof- £1 one, and having mcney and promised donations ranging from between £6000 and £7000 already collected, and with the hope of raising this to £10,000, ithe subsidy is really imperatiye ' if I the amount aimed at — £20,000— is.to | be obtained. * Much work has been put into the raising of funds by the.-. R.S.A. members, and paftieulafly the Memorial Hall Committee, led by |Mr. _ H. J. Lancaster. The Levin 'Racing Club did much to spur the members of the committee to greater efforts by donating the proiceeds of a meeting to the - fund, iand Mr. H. B. Burdekin reicently persuaded the Govern- [ ment to ' refrain from tak- ■ kig its shate in taxation fromthese proceeds. The public have apparently given the scheme their blessing, and have been. generous in support. It is little wonder that with victory in sight, the local. R.S.A. is disturbed at the possibility of the control. of the building passing to other hands.