ANZAC ART UNION

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2890, 30 September 1916, Page 3

ANZAC ART UNION

Sir, —I saw with sorrow that tho Hon. tho Minister of Internal Affairs had mado some rude comparisons between tho conducting of tho Anzao art union and certain other patriotic lotteries which havo been conducted in Now Zealand. It is a well-known maxim that comparisons are odious, and they aro dangerous, too, unless you. are possessed of all aotails. Can the Hon. tho Minister say whether any audit of othor art unions over took place? If not, how can. he know'how much or in what manner "expenses" were written off. in tkoso oases? If the honourable gentloman were to mako inquiries ho would find that to raise £18,000 by means of_ Is. tickets is an enormous undertaking, and he would further find that for weeks before tho drawing a large body of tho most influential citizens of Palmerston North : worked; gratuitously, not only many hotirs overy day, but, up till nearly midnight every night m order that everything might be kept square and above board. Moreover, before attacking Mr. M'Hardy and^ the Anzao Art IJnion Committee he might have given some consideration to the assistance men like Mr. M'Hardy have been to the .Government in these strenuous times, ,and what help to grappl© with tho difficult Bubjeot of now to look after our returned soldiers 'these art unions havo been. How much nicer it would havo been had tho honourable gentleman said: "Well, Mr. M'Hardy and garitlomen of the committee, you have rather overstepped the mark, but it was in a good cause, and no doubt you did all' for tho best so I suppose tto must overlook it."—l am, oto., " , H. GIFFORD MOORE. Palmerston North, September 25.