DISTRESS RELIEF FUND

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2232, 19 August 1914, Page 6

DISTRESS RELIEF FUND

ITS ADMINISTRATION

THE MAYOR'S PROPOSAL _ At Monday's meeting of the Patriots Fund Committee, the Mayor'(Mri J. P. Luke) annouuced.with reference-to makprovision for the alleviation of any distress/that may arise out of the war, that he intended to confer with the chairman'of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board (Rev. W. A. Lvans), and. a representative of the Labour Department, with a view to set. ting -up a committee to deal both Vith distress and unemployment. This conference was held yesterday morning in the Town Hall. Mr. H.E. Morton represented the Labour Department. lhe Mayor, in a general statement made_ after tho meeting, said that the Hospital Board had all the necessary machinery that would give the best facilities for carrying out. the work of relieving any distress that might occur, and with that machinery in. good working order, would give the best value to the whole of the community in affording' relief in necessitous cases..He did not think they could do better in utilising tho boards staff for. such a purpose. Where there were: cases of unemployment —and he did not think there would be much unemployment unless the war proved to be a prolonged one —tho employment bureau of tho Labour Depart-' ment had all the facilities for receiving requests for work by those not in positions, and for labour by employers. A purely local committee might know thebeat of the labour pulso in Wellington, but not in other parts of tho country, whilst tho Labour Department had its representatives in every district* His proposal was that the proposed Distress and Unemployment Committee should consist of the chairman of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board (Mr. W. A. Evans), a representative of the Labour Department, the secretary of the Wellington Employers' Association (Mr. W. Grenfe'll), one representative from the Trades and Labour Council, and one from another labour organisation. A meeting of this committee would beheld at tho Town Hall at 11 o'clock this morning. I To Prevent Abuso. ■ The Rev. Mr. Evails, when asked to express his views on tho subject, thoroughly approved of the machinery of tho board being used for tho relief of distress, as that was the most effective and economical manner of administering relief in Wellington. At Thursday's meeting of the board , consideration, would 1)6 given to a proposal to work' in conjunction with a ladies' guild of. service (which represented three charity dispensing organisations) at work in the' city. That proposal had been made at ■ the present juncturo in order to avert any overlapping, which was bound to occur if ever} , body and committee worked independently. ,If such a unity of forces could be brought together in oyory city and town there would be little risk of that wasta whioh occurred where.

the activities of one body overlapped the other. They, had discovered cases whero persons wore receiving ".charity from three institutions at the same time without one knowing that tho other was administering relief. In a crisis like -.' the present.rii was.only right; in the'interests, of : the community whioh was contributing~the funds that, the best safeguards should be sought to prpvent anything in the nature of impositions, ; and'tho Betting ;up of,.a .multiplicity of .distress funds and committees .would only complicate and render expensive the good work they all wished to do. ; MUNIFIOENCEL '..; (By Telteroph-rJPreea Association.) ,-,'■■■ .''■"■'"■ "rjuhedlri, August'lß. ;■' Messrs 1 . Sargood,,., Son, ; . and Ewon, imswering the Premier's call upon the poople of New Zealand, have, placed £2000 at the disposal of local organisations to be . devoted- ,to local ■ relief. Cheques are forwarded .to twelye places, including Auckland £400, Christeliurcli. £500,.Wellington '£300, Dunedin £300. The directors of the Wellington Meat '/" Export Company, Ltd., have deoided to donate frozen rheat to the value of £250 towards the fund for alleviation of dis- ; tress in connection with tho war. ■. Mr; Wi-E. H;Knowles, representing Messrs. H..L. Young, Ltd., has given ■• his services, also the services of \ his office, stafi to', do any work necossarj; in connection iviih th' 6 fund for the relief of tho poor of Great Britain and. Ireland. Mr. Knowles spent some years in Loiidoit and knows well the conditions under which the poorer classes live undpr -ordinary conditions,'to' , say nothing of what is to be their lot during war time and the approaohing winter. ■:■■■■■ ■•- .'. ■' ''■~•;";. :, FOR LONDON'S POOR., The movement;to'secure, by voluntary a; shipload of meat,.produce, other v food,;, and clothing for the poor at Home, in ■ association with the • Prince of Wales' Fund, is being extended into the country districts. ■In addir '.tlon to/this donations/already acknowledged, Messrs. Fi: and J,; Armstrong, ■ of Akitio, have, made a very'handsome gift of was hoped to land, the gift- at Home; by Christmas time; ' but'it'is hardly, possible .that the stock will be .available .'so ; sop'n-' The time for shipment will, of-course, depend npon .' the means.of transport' obtain ablo,'\ and the position of work in the shearing sheds. ' .. /i\.' •','-.- (By . Telegraph—Prees Association.) , .. i Chrlstchuroh, August lS.i. The Christchurch City Council have donated £750 to the Food for Britain Fund. The total subscribed here dur-. mg'the three days tho fund has been in operation is■; £3750, in addition to, ■ 1000 sheep worth/another £1000.'. f'- ' ';■ \ . Wanganul, August 18. Sty Paul's congregation , ; , adopted the 'Boar dof Managers'-proposal, to'.-raise funds for the relief (of distress in Eng-i land.? Mombers have undertaken to contribute various sums per week during the currency of the war-. ;:-■:.' -; ,■;...