Huntly Mines Disaster Relief Committee.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 23 July 1915, Page 2

Huntly Mines Disaster Relief Committee.

A meeting of the above committee was held last Friday in the Town Board office, the members present being, Messrs J. P. Bailey (chairman), L.. B. Harris, junr., Robt. Greenwell, J. Elliot, G. T. Horwood, W. Morris, J. Hooker, McCabe, W. Warren, J. O’Brien, W. Leather, Rev. M. J. Evans, Father O’Doherty and the Honorary Secretary (F. Harris). The minutes of the last meeting (held in January) having been read and confirmed, the secretary proceeded to read the letter he had written by direction of the committee, setting forth the conditions on which the committee would hand over the money to the Public Trustee for administration. The letter was approved. He than read several letters which had passed between the Public Trustee and himself, to show the difficulty he had exverienced in getting the Trustee to move in the • matter, even after accepting the Trust. Finally, he had received a letter from the solicitor to the Public Trust office, who said that the delay had been caused by the difficulty of taking over the Trust without special legislation. However he had found a section in the Public Trust office Amendment Act, 1912 under which the matter could be settled by an order made by a Judge of the Supreme Court. He had forwarded an affidavit, containing the conditions laid down by the Committee, and this the committee proceeded to consider. The first nine clauses of the affidavit were passed as they stood. Clause 10 related to the appointment of a Local Advisory Committee, to keep the Trustee in touch with the position of each of the beneficiaries under the Fund. The solicitor had asked the secretary to give him the names of suitable people. The secretary reported that he had proposed the three present trustees of the Fund (Messrs Bailey, L. B. Harris and Greenwell) and at the chairman’s suggestion, had included himself and a member to be elected by the Miners’ Union. It was for the .meeting to decide whether this was a suitable committee. Mr W. Leather thought it was not a suitable committee, because the Miner’s Union should have a representation of at least half of the members of tho committee and proposed that the committee consist of four members, two to be elected by the Town Board and two by the Miners’ Union. Some of the members present said they would be satisfied if all the members were elected by the Miners’ Union, but eventually, the motion, which had been seconded by Mr Morris, was carried by eight votes to seven.

1 Some small alterations were made in clause 11, with the object of making the meaning of the clause more definite. A. motion was then carried, authorising the Hon. Secretary to sign the affidavit as amended, and to hand the money over to the Public Trustee. This completed the business and the committee disbanded and will not be called together again unless some unforeseen difficulty arises. There is still some work for the secretary to do before the matter is out of ,his hands but be hopes to hand everything over by the first of next month. The total on the Huntly list on July Ist was £7400 18s Od (a little has been received since) and the expenditure to the same date has' Been : £ s d

In addition to the amount received m Huntly, the Federation Committee at Wellington held £2OOO which was to Le paid into the Fund, at Christchurch there was £1042 (plus interest) the Public Trustee had over £4QO and there would be about £l5O interest due on the money received at Huntly. The total of the Fund would thus be about £llO3O, and when the disbursements were deducted, the amount available at July Ist would be about £9690. With the widows Pensions and interest, on compensation received, this woul ; be about enough to ensure that the total of payments received by widows and orphans at pre >ent from all sources would bo maintained. When tho affidavit has been engrossed and signed, and the accounts audited, the affidavit and accounts will be published iu these columns.

Paid to Widows and Orphans 1317 16 4 Cables to relatives of deceased miners 4 16 0 Telegrams 12 10 P. 0. Orders (to widows resident away from Huntly) 2 i 9 Exchanges 5 19 6 Stamps 6 14 9 Printing etc., 3 17 6 Total 1341 IS 8