PATRIOTIC FUNDS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2633, 2 December 1915, Page 3

PATRIOTIC FUNDS

AND THE NATIONAL COUNCIL P ■ SCHEME EXPLAINED CIRCULAR FROM MINISTER NO COMPULSION A circular dealing with the administration of patriotic funds by the National War. Funds 'Council lias been forwarded to patriotic societies, by tbe Minister of ■Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell). The circular runs as follows :— "I desire, as tho Minister appointed to administer the War Funds Act, 1915, to place before the patriotic committees of the Dominion the leading provisions of the Act, and the policy which it. is intended to" lay down in connection with it. I'irst, let me emphasise the fact that there is no compulsion under the Act, and that the Government has no desire fa. in any way exercise control over patriotic funds, excepting those which are transferred under the Act to the National War Funds Council. It is provided by Section 4 that the Council shall, at the request in writing of not less than threefifths of the trustees of any war fund, undertake the control and administration

of that fund. One point I wish to em- , phnsise is that in Section 7 it 13 provided 1 where any war fund is transferred to the Council the. recommendations (if any) of the trustees from whom the fund was transferred shall be.taken into consideration, as also the recommendations of the Ixioal Advisory Committees. Power ,is given to the Governor by Order-in-Council under Section 23 to make.regulations for the appointment of Local Advisory Committees to assist the Council m the administration cf funds, which, having been transferred, are administered by -the Council. • * . Policy to be Followed. The policy in connection with the administration of the Act .will be on the ; following lines:— . (1) When a fund has been transferred .to the Council the trustees who have transferred it will be asked to, make, recommendations to the Council under Clause 7of the Act. The general, recommendations so made - will be taken into con- . 6ideration by the Council in the administration of the fund. It is also intended in such districts to establish local Advisory Committees, upon whom .the responsibility of the administration 1 would to a large extefit rest. In appointing committees the. Government would care, fully consider any suggestions that were made. The-persons appointed could ba either (a) members of local bodice,'or (b) other persons; but probably, the best course would be to have a coni&nation of members of local bodies and outsiders ' who are interested in patriotic efforts. This would enable tho'patriotic ladies of the various districts to take'part. Every consideration will be given to the suggestions of patriotic committees in this ' behalf. \

(2) The duties of the patriotic committees would bo to inquire as far as possible into cases where application is made for assistance, such as (a) assistance to the wives and children 'of. soldiers whose allotment is not sufficient to keep their families in comfort; (b) assistance of parents who wore wholly or'~partially dependent upon their sijldier sons before they went to the war; More particularly tlie cases that would need inquiry, would be these of returned soldiers who were cither temporarily or permanently sick or disabled, with the view of assisting their speedy return to health, or supplementing any pension might receive, or assisting them to' employment, or to establish them in suitable businesses, or even to take up small farms. Other cases would be the assistance of soldiers either discharged or still in the service on sick leave—to give them railway journeys to recoup their: health, or to reach Eotorua or Hanmer for attendance at tho convalescent camps at those'places. The object for which the patriotic funds were established was to assist in every way possible our sick, and wounded soldiers, and to compensate them for the Rreat sacrifice .they have made for the Umpire, and our . country, as . a part of the Empire. Whatever we can <lo to amist -worthy and deserving men should be done.

.(3) Tiie suggestion is ■ that from the ; local Advisor} - .Committees in any- district covered by a patriotic committal there should be' elected an executive; which should meet at the central town of the district from time to time, and be the medium o£ communication between the district and the War Funds Control. How the Scheme Will Work. The' mode of working would be as follows:— (1.) The 'Local Advisory Committees in* the district would meet from time to time to consider their expenditure, and to allot, the money which they considered desirable, should be devoted to each recipi-' out.? Proper forms of expenditure would be prepared and supplied by the Government,, and. .iipon these would be stated the full'name,'regimental number, and rant of each-, recipient, and the names of his dependents ' who were" assisted by each committee: These would be siened b.v the president-of the local committee and forwarded to the executive. The executive would then in turn remit these requisi-

tions to the War Funds Council, and the Council would send a consolidated cheque for the monthly payment for that district to the president of the executive, who would in turn hand over to the local committees the sums that were requisitioned for by them. It will be seen that under this scheme of administration the cost would be reduced to a minimum, The central department at Wellington would assume the entire responsibility of forwarding on the lists of recipients to all 1 other patriotic committees m New Zealand, with the view of preventing! overlapping, and so that persons could not go from district to district collecting moneys outside their own locality. (2.) The whole work, of inquiring as to cases would be sympathetically done by residents, who would have a local knowledge of the persons applying for Telief —their position and circumstances, etc.— and the cost of administration would be practically nil.

Advantages of Central Control. ' The advantages of the national scheme of administration would be as follow:—

(1.) The whole of the funds would be invested in whatever way the Council might determine, so as to become immediately revenue-producing, and consequently there would be no wastage of interest through leaving large sums uninvested. This is a. very important matter, and one that will require to be dealt with upon 6trict business lines.

, (2.) By keeping each of the patriotic committees fully informed as to persons who arc receiving aid from the fund, the possibility of overlapping will be reduced to a minimum.

>(3.) Each district will retain full and absolute control of its own expenditure, the Council merely laying down the general lines so as to secure as fnr as possible uniformity throughout the country. (i.) Whero. there are districts which, on account of financial weakness, are 'unable to raise large sums for patriotic purposes, the needs of the soldiers within those districts will be recognised by a general scheme, so that no man v:ho has served the country will go unrecognised or without the assistance to which he is reasonably entitled. "The One Desire." "I commend the scheme of the War Funds Act to the most carofnl consideration of the patriotic committees throughout the country. Any information that is desired to explain any matter upon which members of the committees may bo in doubt will be at once supplied from this Department upon receipt of the inquiry. The object of the Government in passing the War Funds Act of last session was to assist in every way possible the working of the patriotic committees, and also to aid our brave soldiers by any means within the power of the Government. The War Funds Council which has been set up embraces a number of the leading men of the country, who have patriotically placed at the disposal of the Dominion their financial ability and experience; and the one desire that they have is to place the work of the patriotic funds of the Dominion upon such a footing as, while it will he of a strictly business character, will also enable the maximum' of assistance and benefit to be given to those for whom those funds, were established, .