THE RED CROSS SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2708, 1 March 1916, Page 7

THE RED CROSS SOCIETY.

Sir, —I read with astonishment, in .your columns of Friday's issue, that the Red Cross Society have appointed a Mr. Jl'Shane as secretary to that organisation at a salary of £300 per ' year! As interest is now at a high rate, that £300 a year must mean an amount of between £2000 and £3000 locked up to produce that sum. The three hundred is* said to cover "other expenses" I ' Looking over the ladies' page 1 I came across the report of-the English Red Cross balance-sheet, and there we find no "other expenses," rent, etc. They have no "paid head of any department." Now, : why should we in New Zealand, with such an infinitesimal amount of capital as compared with Britain, require to pay out £300 per year for "secretary andother expenses"? Another point: If those engaged in the great and noble lied Cross work found it impossible to obtain a person patriotic enough to perform voluntarily the duties of a secretary, why appoint a man? Why not a woman? But my real reason for writing is to protest most strongly upon tlie position being filled by a gentleman jyho has liis profession to support him, whilst we cannot find employment for returned soldiers who so badly need it. At the present time I am seeking a position for a competent bookkeeper—a v ßussian, who speaks three languages—and so far havo been unsuccessful. Wherever possible patriotic funds should be used for returned ' soldiers. Suppose those energetic and hard-work-ing women at the head of the Lady Liverpool Society were to take it into their heads to appoint a person to cut out shirts, another to supervise this and that, what a howl there would arise,from the male portion of our com-, nnmity! Yet these women are working fjie flesh off their bones in the interest of the soldiers. Surely there are scores of accountants who would deem it an honour to audit or arrange the lied Cross books, and would havo offered their services had they been invited to do so. The appointment as it stands casts a slur upon the patriotism of our, men, and.Js disappointing to returned soldiers who need employment.—l am, etc., , A. BODEN, Hon. Secretary Soldiers' Hostel Committee. [We have made inquiries on the points raised by our correspondent. It seems that the Red Cross organisation has, for the more efficient ancf systematic conduct of its admirable work, created a central administration at Wellington. The accounts of all the hranch6s will pass through this central establishment which will also atfend to the forwarding and other work. It was felt that with the large sums of nioney now ibeing handled by the society, and the growth of its work generally, that, a certified accountant .should be secured to attend to the books and accounts, and to supervise •the business side of the society's af. fairs generally. The remuneration fixed on was not. £300 a year, but a .smaller sum, and it is considered that in obtaining tho services of Mr. M'Shane for the, responsible duties involved m the position tho society was very fortunate.]