PATRIOTIC FUNDS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2677, 25 January 1916, Page 9

PATRIOTIC FUNDS

THE PROPOSED CONFERENCE

DEFINITfON OF RESPONSIBILITY

A conference of Patriotic Societies, convened by tho -Minister of Internal Affairs'(the Hon. 6. W. Russell), is to be lield in Wellington l on February 17 next.

A considerable programme of business will be submitted to the conference by the Minister, chiefly relating to the expenditure cf patriotic funds for the relief of sick and wounded soldiers. At present the funds are not being expended very freely at all, and one of the reasons for this is probably that there has never been a clearly defined division as to where the Government's responsibility should end, and as to where the responsibility of the. Patriotio Societies should begin. According to a statement by the secretary of tho Wellington Patriotic Society yesterday, the Wellington -Patriotic Society has expended only £100 out of aiund of some £75,000 on the relief of sick and wounded soldiers.

"I accept full responsibility for every soldier, placed by the Defence authorities in any publio hospital or convalescent camp until. the day tliat man. is discharged," said the Hon. G. W. Russell yesterday. "After a man. is discharged from the forces ho.ceases to be a soldier; and to bo a charge upon the Government; He obtains his pension if he is entitled to one, or he resumes liis civilian employment. This is where I say-the patriotic societies should help men. 'After the Government has done its-duty the patriotic committees which are in possession of huge sums of money should surely come forward and do what- they agreed to do when they asked, the public to give them' these Jiuge sums for sick and wounded soldiers."