WAR FUND APPEAL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20045, 18 September 1939, Page 6

WAR FUND APPEAL

“NEED DOES NOT EXIST” GOVERNMENT’S POLICY SCHEME BEING PREPARED ME, D. W. COLEMAN’S VIEW “A not unimportant aspect of New Zealand's part in the war, the question of the collection of funds, was discussed by the National Centennial Council in Wellington on Tuesday,” was a statement made to a Herald reporter to-day by the Mayor, Mr. D. W. Coleman, M.P., who returned to Gisborne on Saturday.

Mr. Coleman, who recently was appointed by the Government an associate member of the National Centennial Council, took part in the deliberations of the council at its meeting on Tuesday.

“I feel that the views of the Government on the amassing of war funds outlined by the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, in the House on Thursday night/’ Mr. Coleman stated, “will be echoed by the people of Gisborne.

“The need does not exist for the badgering of people for money for the war, and there is much less need for the flourishing into being of a crop of patriotic committees ail with the aim, however laudable -it might be, of collecting war funds. “Sounfi Common Sense” “The counsel of the Government to the people to hold off in the collection of these funds at the present juncture is sound commonsense and as such will have a wide public appeal. ' Equally sound governmentally and municipally is the Government’s intention to have pi’epared a scheme to deal with war funds should it be considered appropriate and helpful to bring it into operation as the war goes on. The whole community of New Zealand would then know the funds necessarily requii'ed and how and from what sources they could be obtained.”

Mr. Coleman thought that the raising of the question of war funds would recall to the minds of many people the helter-skelter feature that predominated everywhere in the Dominion over the collection of funds for the Gi’eat War.

“A plethora of patriotic and kindred societies sprang up,” he said. “There were authorised and, I fear, some unauthorised societies and private citizens all making a din with collection boxes, and a good deal of the work, must have resulted in chaos. “It seems to me that the trend that could be read into the statement made by Mr. Parry was that if the collection of war funds was later on considered to be necessary, a proper working scheme would be provided to place the funds from the outset of their collection under an efficient administration. That is as it should be, and to be rightly expected by the public who will be the contributors." Centennial Council Unanimous The unanimity among members of the National Centennial Council in supporting the Government’s opinion on the collection of war funds impressed Mr. Coleman. “There is a fine body of publicspirited and experienced men o 1 civic affairs on the council,” he remarked. “I was pleased to have taken part in the centennial work which was being done, and to have been in an atmosphere which, sounded the true importance and significance of New Zealand’s one-hundredth birthday shortly to be celebrated. “I am sure the hearts and minds of some of the stalwarts of Gisborne, who are nobly helping along our local arrangemnts for the celebi'ation of the big event, would have been gladdened had these public-spirited citizens been present at the meeting to listen to the well-worthy and splendid notes struck by the addresses given.”

Reverting again to the question of funds for war purposes, Mr. Coleman stated that those desirous of assisting in this could rest assured that the question was not being overlooked, and that as soon as assistance was needed, and it was known in what way assistance could be best rendered, a meeting for the purpose would be called. In the meantime it is asked by the cen‘ennial council that no collections of funds be instituted whatever. and that money already collected for patriotic purposes should be held in. trust pending the announcement of the Government’s scheme.