DISTRESS RELIEF FUND

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2270, 2 October 1914, Page 6

DISTRESS RELIEF FUND

POOR' OF BRITAIN. IRELAND, AND BELGIUM. The Wellington Committee of the Poor of.Great Britain and Ireland and Belgium 'Distress Relief Fund acknowledges receipt of the following;—. £'s. d. Amount previously acknow- ' lodged 381 17 2 William Ferguson 20 0 0 "Wee Willie" 0 5 0 W. Romlap .110 Chas. Haines 10 10 0 , Ekefcahuna Ladies' Golf Committee (proceeds . of "social") . 16 5 0 A. P. Dryden 1 1 0 Officers of Government Life Insurance Department ... '2 6 0 Mrs. F. S' Seainon 110 Thos. T. Hugo 3, 3 0 £437 9 2 MAYOR'S WAR DISTRESS FUND- £ s. d. Amount previously acknowledged 2122 5 5 Wellington Jewish Club 12 0 0 Wellington Harbour Board (3rd instalment) 10 16 9 Officers of Government Lifo' Insurance (being part of monthly contribution) 1 18 0 2147 0 2 APPEAL TO CHURCH PEOPLE. BISHOP SPROTT ON THE WAR. In tlio "Church Chronicle" issued yesterday the Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Sprott) makes the following appeal to tho Church people of his diocese l to cooperate' for the relief of the poor in the United Kingdom and Belgium:— "To'the Church people of tho Diocese. ■'My Friends,—On Sunday, October i, collections will bo mado very widely throughout New Zealand for tho relief of tlio poor in tho United Kingdom and ill Belgium. I earnestly trust that our own diocese will heartily co-operate. Wo ia New Zcalaud can hardly, realise the

greatness of the distress which the approaching winter may bring to lands in which, at tho best of times, there aro large numbers of people livi.ig in abject poverty, and other large numbers whom a very slight rise.in the price of the necessaries of life must bring down into the same pitiable condition. In Great Britain alone there may well Do ten million people on tlio verge of starvation. The question of war is one which bears with perplexing weight on tho _ Christian conscience, and some Christian people may be in doubt as to their duty in tho matter of voluntarily contributing to a war fund. But no Christian can have a moment's doubt as to the biiidingness of the duty to provido for tho poor and needy, who are ever the victims, never the instigators, of war. It will not, I trust,, seem strange that the poor of Belgium 'have been brought within tho scope of this appeal. Upon whomsover tho verdict of history may ultimately fasten the immeasurable guilt of causing tho most appalling war in human history, it will certainly not be Belgium Belgium, at all events, is innocent. It did not and couhl not originato this war. It has been the victim of unprovoked aggression. Its suffering and its heroism' have been alike great, and make strone appeal to all generous hearts. I do not forget that the war may cause exeepsif.nal distress here in New -Zealand; but, happily for us, summer, not winter, is approaching, and I feel sure that as and wlum the local need arises we shall be-ablo to meet it. Meantime, as in the days of St. Paul, the Christian •immunities throughout the Roman Empire, irrespective of country or race, contributed, as God had prospered them, for the relief of the famine-stricken poor of .Tud»a, let'us with equal liberalit,v_ send a generous offering for tho relief of tho war-striken poor of tho Motherland and of Belgium, remembering tho words of tile Lord Jesns, how He said: It is moro blessed to give than to receive.—l am, yours sincerely, T. H. Wellington. .

"P.s.—All offerings should be sent to Mr. Carter, Diocesan Office, Wellington."

MOVEMENT IN DUNEDIN. •By Mejr-aph—Press .4ssociation—Oopyrlzhl Dunadin, October 1., At a meeting of the Otago Hospital and ■ Charitable Aid..' Board to-night, representatives of the Hospital Saturday Association waited as a deputation to ask that at least a portion of the money to be collected by the association bo diverted to the alleviation of distress in Britain and Belgium caused by the war. Alitor the deputation had statad their case, the board considered the matter in committee, and expressed its willingness that half the sum, 'the I'oard would receive from the tion's collection should be forwarded, for the relief of distress in Britain arid Belgium.