"FRANCE'S DAY "

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 232, 19 June 1918, Page 3

"FRANCE'S DAY "

CAPTAIN BARCLAY'S COMMENT

MAYOR REPLIES TO THE

MINISTER

lteferring lo the letter of the Minister of Internal A flairs (the Hon. G. W. Jtus.sell) with regard to thu application of <i strong committee (.with tne Alayor as chnirinan) for a permit to collect for French patriotic funds, Captain Barclay, president of the Gercle l'Yaiieais, characterised the text us "camouflage" pure and unadulterated. Mv. Russell was evidently waiting for tho Vice-Consul for l'Vance in Auckland (Mr. Hippenu) to come out into the open and beg for this permit, Captain hurt-lay. said, but it was extremely unlikely that tho official representative of a great republic was likely to do that, though It was established that lie was heart and soul with the movement that will give some measure • of relief to a gallant people who at present were passing through the shadow. People out hare could not measure the amount of urgent relief needed for the hundreds of thousands of penniless refugees from the invaded provinces and cities of Northern France—a need which the British had not been called upon to face. The demand wns simply enormous—the suffering indescribable. Germany's wish at the present moment was to shake to its foundation not so muc. the moral of France's army, which was proof again all attacks, but the moral of tho French people, and hoped still to achieve it by creating unparalleled misery and want, and perpetuating those nameless brutalities which appeared to go hnnd in hand with her "kultur." "The Minister quoted what had already been done for France," Captain Barclay .continued. "How gracious! New South Wales raised something in the vicinity, of a quarter of a million sterling on France's Day, and at present is organising on wonderful lines a day frtr Italy. "We do not hear of such permits being refused in Australia." Sir Francis Bell's Attitude. The Attorney-General (Sir Francis Bell), a vice-president of the French Cercle, was invited to join the French lielicf Committee. Sir Francis replied to Captain Barclay thus:— "I am in receipt of your letter of June H, asking whetuer you may place my name on your General Committee formed at a public meeting in the Town Hall on Tuesday last for the purpose of furthering an appeal now being organised for tho great Day of France. I gnther that your object is to raise a fund by private subscription for/ purposes in connection with the present war, and consequently to institute and solicit subscriptions for a war fund within the definition of the War Funds Act, 1915. It that be the case, the proposal is. only lawful if a permit, purusant to Section 33 of the War Legislation Act, 1917, has been granted, authorising the collection of subscriptions. Before consenting to join your committee 1 must request your assurance that the necessary permit lias been issued." ' ' A POINT IN ETIQUETTE. _J / MINISTER'S SUGGESTION "UNTHINKABLE." The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke), as chairman of the committee, replied to the Minister's letter yesterday as follows:— "Sir,—l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of June 17, in reply lo mine of June 13, in which 1 applied for a permit to collect funds to be sent to the French Government for distribution—one-half to the French lied Cross, and the other half to be applied to such special urgent patriotic needs as the French' Government may determine. •

"You stale that, before you will grant approval to the establishment of the 'fund, you desire, fuller information, either from tile • Consul-General for France for the Dominion or from myself.'.

•; "As ihe appeal, is intended as a spontaneous expression 'of the Dominion's admiration awl gratitude lor';the valour and sacrifices of the French people, itwould lie absolutely unthinkable that the committee should communicate with ihe Consul-Geii'eral, and by so doing they would ehniinale the element ol spontaneity .by which alone our tribute will be of value in showing the warm and affectionate esteem the people of this Dominion have for the French nation'. Neither the French Government nor Ihe Consul-General is soliciting aid' from the firitish community to carry on the war. Their ideas are more lofty, and their sense of national honour too sacred lo appeal to the British public for funds in tine manner you suggest. "I do not propose to traverse your statements as to the amount of money that has been raised and applied to relief in Belgium and France. All those who have a knowledge of the appeals made know that the bulk o£ the money has been expended to help the Belgians, and until you furnish a statement showing Ihe amount that has been donated to tho French organisations there is little merit in pursuing the mother. "Wo all have profound respect for Ihe great work of the British "Red Crass, and also for that of our own lied Cross, and whatever answer you may sive to the request for 'a permit, to make lire appeal, it will not alienale the sympathies and aid of those interested' in connection with tine splendid efforts of the "Red Cross organisations.

"T again respectfully ask you, on he-' half of the committee set up at the rer"in( public meeting h«ld in the Town Hall, ,to grant a permit to raise funds lo bo sent forward to Ihe French Government as n token of the .••ldinirat.ion and gratitude of the peonl" o r Hip Dominion towards our illustrious Ally."