Huntly Relief Fund.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 3, 25 September 1914, Page 3

Huntly Relief Fund.

A meeting of the Huntly Mine Disaster Relief Committee was held in the Supper Room of the King’s Hall on Tuesday night when there were present Messrs. J. P. Bailey, chairman, L. B. Harris, Junr., W. D. Thompson; To Hoe, R. Greenwell, G. T. Horwood, H. It. Porter, Rev. J. Richards, ,T. Elliot, and the secretary, Mr. F. Harris. After the minutes had been confirmed, a large number of lette’-s of condolence and sympat' -any of them containing degrams, and frorm local bodies, workers s, and institutions of all Kinds, throughout the Dominion were read and ordered to be acknowledged. The secretary intimated that Mr Moroney of Karamu had forwarded five tons of potatoes as a contribution to the fund. Many bags of these had been distributed among the households affected by the disaster, and several more were still to be distributed, ft was decided to sell the remainder by auction on Saturday next together with the horses, stock, etc... already promised. The chairman intimated that the contributions in money already received by the Treasurer amounted to £617 3s Id., and, as this was likely to be very largely increased, he moved that trustees be elected to administer the fund. Mr F. Harris, in proposing that the three senior members of the Town Board, Messrs. J. P. Bailey, L. B. Harris, Junr., and R. Greenwell, be elected, remarked that he had seen several members of the executive of the Miners’ Union during the day,and each one had stated that in the interests of the fund no member of the executive desired to be or should be included among the trustees, preferring such office to be held by those connected by the local body. The motion was unanimously adopted. The question of the amount of relief to be granted was next and after dissussion solved, on the motion of !. Harris, junr., whose seconder was the Rev. J. Richards, that in' the meantime the allowance to be made to the widows be fifteen shillings per week, and to each child underfourteen years of age five siblings per week; but that from flTe grant be deducted the pen- i sion allowed by the Government, so that the amounts granted to the bereaved would be the same all round. No deductions shouldbe made until thenenaud it was hoped that the originators of such would work in harmony with the Huntly committee as the central body in order to avoid over - lapping, and 'oall that could be done to secure sum sufficient to subserve It was estimated or the first year, which would gradually decrease as the children attained the age of fourteen. Any surplus left should he devoted a deed of trust to the dependants of those who might be killed in a similar disaster. In order that all information might be obtained regarding the conditions of families deprived of the it was decided to add the Rev. Father Edge, the Anglican vicar, and Mr E. J. Farrell, J.P., to the committee. Messrs F. Harris and J. Elliot were asked to forward to the press of the Dominion a full statement of the position of the committee, and the attitude it had taken in connection .with the refief fund.