KITCHENER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2797, 15 June 1916, Page 6

KITCHENER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS

GENEROUS OFFER BY COLONEL R. H. RHODES. In the House of Representatives last evening the Hon. J. Allen, Minister of Defence, read the following letter from Colonel R. Heaton Rhodes, under date June 1:— "Referring to your letter of August 31 last, in which, you informed mo that I had been appointed by the Government to proceed to Egypt, Malta, and Gallipoli, and, if necessary, to England to examine into and to report upon the matters mentioned therein, and that I was to receive actual expenses of locomotion and .£1 per day during my absence (though I had expressed willingness myself to bear all expenses in connection with the mission), I desire to say now that what little service I was able to render to our troops in Mudros, Galli,poli, Malta, and Egypt was done as a labour of love, and that it is not my intention to make any claim against the Dominion. I suggest, however, for the consideration of the Government that .£SOO, the amount of my personal expenditure, be transferred to the Department of Education for the purpose of forming the nuolous of a fund with which to establish scholarships, to be called i 'The Kitchener Memorial Scholarships' for the children of fallen members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force so long as there are >sueh children, and then for whatever purpose the Government of the day may deem fit. "In a message received from him by His Excellency the Governor as recently as the 6th inst., Lord Kitchener, in giving his approval to his name being associated with the Queen Mary Hospital at Hannier, said that he regarded it as a great privilege to' have his name assojciated with the gallant New Zealand troops that had so fine a record of service. Any scheme submitted to him for the better equipping for the battle of life of the children of those troops would, I feel sure, havo received equally sympathetic support. ' / "Please understand that, I place this proposal before you merely as a suggestion. If the Government approves of .it I shall bo glad to supplement ; the amount by a further .6500, making the nucleus of tile fund JGIOOO. The Minister of Education might then be asked to invite the officers of his Department to submit to the Government a scheme for consideration with a view to having it placed before the public.—(Sgd.) Yours sincerely, R. Hoaton Rhodes." The reading of tho letter was greeted, with considerable applause, which was renewed when Mr. Allen said he proposed to accept the offer and ask the I Education Department to report a 9 suggested.