Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star

Hokitika Guardian, 29 October 1917, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star

Those who are devoting their time, and theft' energies to patriotic work, and particularly the collectors and organisers of entertainments in aid of the various war funds will do well to study the latest amendment being made to the law affecting the operations indicated. In the War Legislation Bill passed by both houses last week, there are some important amendments to the War Funds Act of 1915. Just why the principal measure should not he amended under its spocifie title is not clear, hut the amendments are made under a pot pourri bill which deals with matters of varying aspects affecting the war from the acquisition of land by alien enemies right along to War Regulations, the latter being left- wide enough to include any matter which might be omitted from the Ball itself. The war funds section of the measure makes it an offence for unauthorised persons to collect moneys for funds. Section 30 says: 30. (1) Tt shall not he lawful for any person, after the pass Gig of this Act, raise or attempt to raise money for any war fund bv promoting any bazaar, sale, entertainment, or exhibition or by any similar means, or to solicit to receive contributions for a wm fund, unless be is the holder of a permit granted under this section. (2.) Applications for a permit under this section, may be mode to, and such permits, may he issued by any of the following persons, namely :-i— • i

(a) The Tvlaycr of the. city or Borough or iihe Chaft-man cf the county in which any bazaar, sale entertainment or exhibition as aforesaid is to be held, or any collection is to be made; (b) Tile President or Chairman of a society controlling a war fund for tho benefit of which any such bazaar, sale, entertainment, or exhibition is to he held, or any such collection is to be made, or a trustee of any such war fund, if the society or the trustees of that fund have been incorporated under the provision of the War Funds Act, 1915; (c) Any Superintendent or Inspector of Police; or (d) Any other persons authorised by the Minister of Internal Affairs to issue permits for the purposes of this section:

Provided that a permit shall not be issued under this section to solicit or receive contributions or to raise moneys for any war fund unless the society or trustees having control oT that fund have been incorporated under the last-mentioned Act, or unless the fund has been approved by the Minister of Internal Affairs.

(3) Notice of the approval by the Minister of any fund for the purposes of ; this section shall be forthwith published by him in the Gazette. (4) Any person who, not being the holder of a permit under this section, directly or indirectly solicits contributions, or receives any contribution, whether in money or in kind, for or for the benefit of any War Fund, or raisep or attempts tlo raise money, in any manner hereinbefore referred to, for any war fund, commits an offence, and is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds. (5) Nothing in this section shall apply so as to provent any person, not being the holder of a permit under this section from soliciting contributions i»r a war fund by way of a general appeal at a public meeting or other assembly of persons, or from receiving any such contribution.

(G.) Any permit issued under this section, may at any time he revoked or suspended either by the Minister of Internal Affairs or by tli e persu.. who issued such a permit.

(7.) This section is in substitution of section twenty-two of the \\ :\r Funds Act, 1915, and that section .u.u also sections thirty-nine and forty of the War Legislation Amendment arc hereby repealed.

From the foregoing it will he seen that not only may collectors not solicit money for war Funds, except under proper authority, hut bazaars, sides entertainments or exhibitions of any kind for patriotic objects may not »e held unless a permit is granted hv the .Mayor, County Chairman, President or Chairman of an incorporated fund, or, the Inspector of Police. It- is suggested that these formalities are most necessary in some cities but in scattered localities the regulation is unlikely to prove irksome, and is calculated to have a restricting influence on those who hither tlo have; so readily given their time and their talents for the advantage of the financial side of the patriotic movement.