THE TERMS OF A WAR GIFT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2870, 7 September 1916, Page 6

THE TERMS OF A WAR GIFT

MR. G. P. DONNELLY AND THE HAWKE'S BAY WAR RELIEF ASSOCIATION. Sir,—l am enclosing you copy of correspondence that has passed ' between the Haivko's Bay War Relief Association and myself, and would ostecm it a,favour if you would publish samo in your columns.—l am, etc., G. T. DONNELLY, per E. H. C. S. September 5, 1916. (Copy.) Tlio Hawko's Bay War Relief Association, Napier, August 17, 1916. G. P. Donnelly, Esq., Otatara, Taradalc. . Dear Sir,—Among the list of contributors to the funds of this association handed in by Mr. Pharazyn you are recorded as having promised the sum of £5000, and I have been instructed by tho Executive Committee to ascertain how j-ou wish your-dona-tion to bo used. I enclose two forms, which we give our contributors tho option of filling in as they wish, and I should bo obliged if you will kindly complete one of these forms and return same to mo for record purposes. For your information I encloso financial statement placed before the, last meeting of tho executive. Since that date I have received soveral transfers from associated socioties, including £2543 14s. 6d. for Navy Dependants' Fund. 1 may mention that the executive is now in a position to invest all surplus: funds, and that the amount in hand is bearing interest.—Yours faithfully, (Sgd.) H. J. Russell, Secretary. (Copy.) ; ' August 25, 1916. Ihe Secretary, Tho H.B. War Relief Association, Napier. Dear Sir, —I am in receipt of yours of. 17th inst. with reference to my IM'OHiisicd £5000. This amount 1 promised to Mr. Pharazyn with the understanding at the time that I reserved tho right as to how and where the money is to be spent. I have already expended large and small sums up ■ to the present time,'and am keeping a detailed statement of same. 1 have also sent money from time to time to my friend Mr. Coatcs, late general manager of the National Bank, and at present on tho board in London, to assist any of our .'gallant boys lying in hospitals at homo and on leave, who are deserving of assistance. I have also given sums to the Y.M.C.A. the Salvation Army, soldiers', clubs, and hospitals, etc.', ct-c., all for the benefit of our soldiers. In many cases assistance is urgently and instantly' required, and having reserved the right to spend niy own donation, it saves my waiting for a meeting of the committee to decido. I. am now arranging to assist a returned soldier to start a practice inHastings. He is a 1 professional-mas-seur, and well known to myself, and recommended by one' of the doctors in Hastings. This, I consider, will bo a great advantage to our wounded soldiers who are not in a- position to pay for medical massage themselves.— Yours faithfully, (Sgd.) G. P. Donnelly. (Copy.)' Napier, August 29, 1916. G. P. Donnelly, Esq., Otatara, Taradale. Dear Sir, —I have to acknowledge receipt of your letter .of the 25th inst. witli reference to tlio £5000 promised by you, and I thank you for your explanation regarding tho, disposal of this money. Your letter was placed before the Executive Committee yesterday, and I was instructed to ask y'ou whether they are to understand that you withdraw your promise to Mr. Pharazyn to subscribe tho sum of £5000 to the funds of this association.—Yours faithfnllv, (Sgd.) H. J. Russell, ■ Secretary.

(Copy.) .'.".• September o, 1916. Tho Chairman, Hawke's Bay War Relief Association, Napier. Dear Sir, —I am in receipt of yours dated August 29. It is not my intention to withdraw from the promiso made to Mr. Pharazyn. Quite the contrary, I would prefer to increase the amount if necessary to carry out my scheme. I think your board must have been under , a misapprehension when they directed the secretary to write in terms of the letter dated August 29 last. My arrangement with Mr. Pharazyn was to subscribe the sum of £5000 for the benefit of our ~ brave heroes, more particularly for the settlement of returned soldiers upon the land, especially in regard to the Pctane-Waikare-Mohaka Blocks, soon to be balloted fdr> and further that I reserved tho right to disburse the money. 1 enclose copy of the letter from Mr.Pharazyn acknowledging this to be the condition of my promise. I see by the papers that your association has decided not to make the settlement of soldiers upon the land as- part of their programme, also that when assistance has been given in the past it was given in the form of a loan bearing interest. This I entirely disagree with; my subscription is going to be.a gift for the benefit of our returned soldiers, and not a. loan, and no interest is to be, charged for the money given by me. The association ■ having now decided not to keep settling solI diers on the land, and having chargod interest on such grants' as have been made, I feel that in the interest of our returned soldiers it is my duty to withdraw my promised donations through the association and expend it in the direction in which I originally decided upon. With one or two exceptions I expressly stipulated that the money was to be used for assisting returned soldiers being placed on the land, and in particular in the blocks mentioned in Mr:' Pharazyn's letter. I therefore propose making my donation other than through your association and carry out the intention in my promise to Mr. Pharazyn to subscribe £5000, the major portion of which will be givon to assist our returned soldiers being settled on tho land as a gift and free of interest. I have already given sinco tho war started £2400 for war reliof purposes, most of which is in addition to the subscription of £5000. •1 am keeping a detailed account of all amounts subscribed by mo, and will from time to time forward to the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. Mr. Russell) a copy of the statement showing how my £5000 subscription is being disbursed. Yours faithfully, (Sgd.) G. P. Donnelly. (Copy.)

Eastolla, Hastings, N.Z. May 29, 1916. Dear Donnelly,—ln reference to your very kind gift of £5000 to the Hawke's Bay War Belief Association, I am writing you this note merely to confirm tbo terms of your gift. I understand from you that you included in this amount a sum of £250, which you handed over to the Y.M.C.A., and a further sum of £100, which you gavo to the .Salvation Army Orphanage Institution. The balauco of £4560 you wished to bo devoted to the settlement of returned soldiers upon the land, more especially upon the Kaiwaka lands, north of, Napier, recently ac-

quired by the Government for this p«rpose, and you yourself reserved tho right of direction as to the disposal of your money for this purpose. ■ Again thanking yon, Yours very sincerely, (Bgd.) Godfrey'N. Pharazyn.