"A BREEZE"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 209, 29 May 1919, Page 3

"A BREEZE"

AT THE WAR RELIEF ASSOCIATION A "breeze" with quite an edge to it disturbed the,usual calm associated wilh meetings of the executive of the War Relief Association yesterday afternoon. The.matter was raised, with regret, by Mr. Alex.-Macintosh, who commented on the fact that a, member of Hie executive had written a letter to the Press ou a subject, that was in committee, nnd had, in doing so., given the public the quite erroneous impression that all was not as it should be in respect to the administration of the affairs of the .association. The reference was to the matter of application for the sum of .£3OOO for' Dr. Riddell's scholarship fund for the children of deceased soldiers. He. wa*s quite sure that the members of the executive were one and all in-sympathy with the object, and that wns not at all what, the public would infer from' the context of the letter.

Mr. John Hutcheson referred to the action in question us being one that would lead the public to cojiclude that all was not as it should be with the ndministration of the affairs of tho association; the proposal had not been "turnpj down, ,or "abruptly" refused"; indeed, ■ they all agreed with the proDcsiil, but had to give due consideration to the objects of the frust funds they were administering in relation to their position as.administrators, and wliat the demands of tho future on those funds mijilit be. No such idea had been conveyed to the public in tho letter which had been written by Mr. James.M'lntosh. They .were in complete accord and sympathy at. the. end of tho meeting. Mr. Mliitosh's action had been like that of an unruly child who could not get its own way, so he threw stones on the 'roof. Another ,side to the question was that the letter' opened the way to an acrimonious public controversy, which was the very worst thing that could hnppen to the association, with the possibility of 1 having unjust suspicion drawn upon them. ' Tho method of writing to tho Press upon a ■ matter discussed in committee was, to say the least, not a wise onij. and tho public, should understand that there wore no underhand or h'ole-in-corner methods pursued in connectiou with the association. .* Mr. J. Lewis said he would like to remind Jl.r. Huteheson of.his action on the occasion of a certain notice of motion ho wished tabled in regard to certain honours bestowed by the King. ..' Mr. Hulcheson said that on that occasion he had declined to allow his motion to be considered in' committee. The chairman: 'Perhaps they were both wrong.' , , Mr. Lewis: Well, two wrongs do not make a rip-ht. Mr. James M'lutosh said tlmtihe was quite unrepenant. In his letter he had saiad that the request was turned down or refused, but was simply discussing the policy of the disposal of the funds. Ho was quite certain that in the original constitution of the association the funds could be ns'ed for the benefit of the children of dead soldiers, aJid he was opposed to the tying up of the principal (of the fund), which should now' he used for those objects sanctioned by the constitution. ' ' ■

The chairman was inclined to think that Mr. M'lntosh had made a mistake. The meeting at which the Riddell scholarship grant had been considered was adiourned. It was. for Mr. Kirkcaldie to say when it would be _resumed. In nny case,, the money for the. scholarships had since been raised.