WAR FUNDS

Evening Star, Issue 23374, 18 September 1939, Page 13

WAR FUNDS

NATIONAL CONTROL STATEMENT OF POLICY NOT SAME HEED AS IN 191*18 An explanation of national policy on the question of raising war funds was made in the House of Representatrves by the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon, W. E. Parry), who said that the Government saw ,no need for funds being collected on a huge scale in advance of requirement!!. , It is most essential,” said the Minister, “ that bodies already in the field soliciting donations should call a halt. Within the next week all necessary provisions for the control of the raising and the expenditure of war funds will be in operation. “The question has been given very close attention by the Government during the past week,” said Mr Farij. “ Mayors and other local body chairmen nave been subjected to consider-able-pressure in_their own districts by societies and individual citizens anxious to do something to help the Dominion and those who, if the occasion' calls for it, will join the British forces in the field. Actually,.too, several bodies have made a beginning with the collection of funds. “ The Government has been requested to make some pronouncement of national policy. Talcing advantage of the special meeting of the National Centennial Council in Wellington, I discussed this matter at great length with the Mayors of Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, New Plymouth, Gisborne, Napier, Blenheim, Nelson, Hokitika, and Invercargill, . who are chairman of 10 of the 11 Provincial Cen-r tennial Councils. The Mayor of Christchurch (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.) was unable to be present, but gave me his views on both questions of Centennial celebrations and war funds, and has since expressed agreement with the resolutions unanimously passed by the meeting in the following terms: — 1, That there must bo some form • of national control over—(a) The purposes for which war funds may be raised; (b) the methods-by-which such funds may he raised; (c) the bodies by which such funds may he raised!; (d) the bodies by which such funds shall be expends. 2. That the Government, at as early a date ns possible, make a public pronouncement on the whole question of patriotic activities and war funds, giving some, indication of the present and ' prospective needs of the Dominion in both directions, and bring down such legislation or emergency regulations as may be necessary to control the posi- . tion in the light of the preceding resolution. NEED APPARENT. “ The necessity for national control of the matters mentioned in the first of these resolutions will be only too apparent to all who were interested in the raising of war funds during the war of 1914-18, and who have since been concerned with their distribution,” said Mr Parry. “No other country in the world had a greater record of spontaneous generosity than New Zealand "■ during those fateful days,, Apart from, the huge sums collected for expenditure in the Dominion for our own men of ) ; the Expeditionary fForce - pendants, gifts in money and in kind were made to many international and Empire funds. It is worth remembering, for instance, that New Zealand’s contribution per head of population (11s 7d) to the Belgian relief fund was more than twice as much as that of any other country in the world, our nearest rival being Australia, with 'ss per head of population. The weakness in our generosity, however, was mainly, in some-cases,- a degree of duplication and extravagance in the cost of collection. , That must not be allowed to happen again. Further, since the War Funds Act, 1915, was not-passed until more than a year after the outbreak of war,- it was not possible to exercise that degree' of control over patriotic effort, which was not only desirable, hut absolutely: necessary to obviate misdirected .overlapping of both effort and objectives. When it js remembered that in 1919 there were no fewer than 983 separate _ war fund committees in existence, it is not necessary for me to press this point. “ The Government is giving serious consideration to ways and means of ensuring that both those who will give freely of , their effort and those who subscribe may rest assured that their generosity will bear full fruit. DOMINION’S NEEDS. “ The Government has also been asked to give Some indication of the present and prospective needs of the Dominion in the direction of patriotic activities and collection of war funds. It is obvious, to my mind, that for the moment at least there is a clear distinction between this war and the last, i Owing to the circumstances prevailing in 1914 the need for war funds was immediately a Jive issue. It is worth emphasising that the whole basis of war .funds ■» the man on - active service, in danger of his life, and all that ■ means to himself and his dependants. “At the present time the immediate circumstances are different, and there is not the same urgent need for the raising of funds as existed at the beginning of the Great War. We now have time for the preparation of effective arrangements to meet the requirements of a whole-hearted and united drive. It is desired that the Dominion’s effort should in no way he divided, and that, pending the making of national arrangements, individual action should for the moment be withheld. “ The Government sees no need for funds being collected on a huge scale in advance of requirements. It feels that the spirit of those who, it is clear, are so anxious to give, will not be discouraged by the exercise of that little restraint which may save much future embarrassment. Our people may rest assured that as and when their generosity is required it will he requested ' through properly-organised channels. , “ It is most essential, the Government feels, that bodies already in the field soliciting donations should call a halt, .Within the next week at latest all necessary machinery provisions for control of raising and expenditure of war funds will be in operation. If necessary, those provisions will be made retrospective in their operation.”