PATRIOTIC FUNDS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 178, 23 April 1919, Page 8

PATRIOTIC FUNDS

-— * FUTURE GUARDIANSHIP THE MONEYS NO LONGER NEEDED STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER A statement was made by the Iloii. G. W. Kusscll yesterday regarding tho custody of patriotic funds. ".Recently," said tho Minister, "some comment was made upon the decision vetoing tho suggestion that tho sum of ,£3OOO should lie transferred from tho Lady Liverpool Fund* at Christchurch to the fund for the building of a Kcturned Soldiers' Club in that city, and I notice that the executive ot the Returned Soldiers' Association recent 1}; passed a resolution expressing regret thai, this action had been taken. The whole matter has been referred to the SolicitorGeneral for comment, and he lias forwarded tho opinion that the statement made by me in connection with .this question gave a correct summary of the legal position. "It will be remembered that during last session of Parliament a very important amendment of tho War funds Act was passed providing that the Supreme Court may, at tho request of the Attor-nor-General, establish schemes for the administration of war funds. In accordance with the advice of the SolicitorGeneral instruction have now been given to tho War Funds Office to prepare a complete schedule of all war funds consisting of over 10,000, showing the objects for which they were raised, -the income of every fund for the last financial year, the amount spent on the. objects for which the fund was established, and the credit at the close of the fiuancial year. In the Act reference to Clause 3 orovided the grounds upon which the bupremo Court may be asked to establish a scheme for the administration of a fund. These grounds are as follow: "That the purposes for which the fundwas established are no longer capable of being fulfilled in the public interest. "That the purposes and trusts pf the fund we not sufficiently definite. "That tho fund is no longer required in the public interest for the purposes for which it was established. "That the fund is larger than 'is reasonably required .for the purposes thereof. • "This question," continued tho Minister, "is one of very great, importance. There is no desire on the part of the Gov. eminent' in any way to interfere with the control or management of any fund provided the objects of the fund are being given effeot to by the trustees. Where, however, as in the case of tho Lady Liverpool Fund, the purpose for which the fund was established has ceased to exist, a responsibility is laid upon the Government. The object of that fund was to provide comforts for soldiers whilst engaged on active service. There are- other funds having considerable credits where in exactly the same ray ■tho objects for which they were established no longer exist. Sooner or later the investment and control and final'disposition of these funds must come np for consideration. Our men are returning in large numbers, and now is the time when, in my opinion, the puree strings of _ the war relief and patriotic associations should be relaxed in order that the men who have borno the burden of four yearsservice should receive whatever assistance can bo given to them by means of the funds so cheerfully subscribed for their j benefit by the people of New Zealand. ' The return which has' been asked for as to the amount expended from the capital of the funds during the last year will let a flood of light on the relation of the returned soldiers to the patriotic funds. "I sincerely trust that it will be seen that there is no tendency on the part of those in control of these funds to board money or to 'retain large capital credits whilst opportunities for assisting' our brave soldiers are so numerous and so diversified. One other point I desire to stress. In years to come many of these men will feel and show the effects of their past service. Their wives and children will then need; the assistance that can be provided from the patriotic funds. 3 is not the responsibility for tho men today that must alone be considered, bii' the responsibility for their wives and children in the future, for who_ would wish the wife or child of a soldier who fought on Gallipoli, at Messines, or Passcbondaele to be a suppliant for charitable aid in days to come? I stress the future responsibility of. tbe people of, the country, and po'int out that the ,£1,700,000 now held should be regarded as a sacred heritage by the people of New- Zealand for the benefit of the soldiers and their dependants. Finally, I wish to repeat what I have already statwP-that tho Government has no wish to interfere with or, to use a colloquialism, to 'collar' these funds, but it has every wish, in which I feel sure it will bo supported by the country, to see that these moneys are held for the men and their dependants for whom they were subscribed."