HOROWHENUA COUNTY PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 30 May 1919, Page 3

HOROWHENUA COUNTY PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL MEETING. The second . annual mooting in connection with the above was held at the Century Hall, Levin, on Wednesday afternoon, when there were about 25 persons present. Mr C. Blenkhorn (chairman of the association's executive) occupied the chair. CHAIRMAN-' S REPORT. '*'

Mr Blenkhorn presented the follow

ing report:— Since the date of our last annual meeting hostilities have happily ceased with the aims of flic Allies achieved.

!The executive committee therefore feel that it should, in submitting this its second annual report., first place on I record its thanks to God, and its grati- [ tude and admiration toward those His instruments »who have been successful , in freeing the world from the terrors of | militarism, and also express the heart- : felt and general pleasure which all feel fit the return of so many of our soldiers to their own homes. It trusts that ere many months have passed the rest of them will be with us, and that before the date of our next annual meeting comes around they will all, in the comfort and security of tlieir homes, have forgotten tho hardships and privations that they have undergone. It remains with us, however, to keep in memory their inestimable ser- j vices.

To the relatives and friends of those whose last resting place is on foreign ground the committee extends the sincere sympathy of the association, a sympathy which it is at all times ready to show in a practical manner whereever the necessity arises.

i The work of the association during the past year has been of a useful eharacter. The executive committee has, despite a certain amount of adverse criticism, still adhered to its policy of conserving the funds. It has, however, the satisfaction of being able to state that such policy has been carried out ; without refusing any deserving application for assistance which has been brought under its notice. It reeognises , that, its past policy can now and ought to bo considerably modified and consistent with the faithful administration of the funds it is prepared to do so. . Repatriation. ■ During the year the work of repatriation in which the association assisted by acting as agent for the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department was taken over by the Repatriation Board, of which a- local ceinmitto has been formed in Levin, and it may not be out of place to give it as an opinion that the Board is working on sound and practical lines, and that possibly its function could with advantage be still further extended so as to include or at any rate more closely co-operate with the work of existing patriotic associations. Grants to Soldiers. Your committee have a difficult problem to.solve in tho matter of relief. It recognises that there must be many deserving cases in the district to whom it would be only too glad to Uc of assistance. It does not believe that any i actual distress exists, but it feels that | there are some to whom a little timely ' assistance would be of use if only to supply proof of the sympathetic interest tho association takes in their welfare and to f nrnish that moral support. which a kindly interest always gives. The most deserving cases arc possibly those most diffident in putting forward these claims. The executive looks to tho members of the Association to bring such cases under its notice. The amount granted during the past year, i.e., to the 31st March last, under this head totals £l6B 5s as compared with £ll for the ten months prior to 31st March, 191 S. Loans. The policy adopted by the executive with regard to loans has been made to make the maximum advance £l5O. No security has been rccpiired beyond the guarantee of two reputable guarantors. Interest has been charged at the rate of -11 per centum, and principal and interest has been repayable by instalments extending over such period as .seemed reasonable to the committee after taking all the circumstances of 'the particular case into account. A diversity of opinion exists between the members of the executive as to whether or not loans should bo in future granted froe of interest and interest, on current Toans remitted. The | matter is receiving the earnest atten- | tion of the executive, and an early dcsion will be given.

The executive is satisfied that the loans already made have been of material assistance to the grantees, and there is not the slightest doubt but that their obligations will be honourably met. ■ * The amount granted by way of loan for the t*velvc months ending 31st March,' ISI9, was £250, as compared with £l5O advanced up to the 31st March, 191 S.

mads. From' the year ending 31st March, 1919, the Association has received from various sources the sum of £2Oll la lid. Of this amount no less a sum than ' £OSO has been received from the Shan- . non Patriotic Society, which decided to hand over to the Association its accumulated funds, retaining only some i small amount which it considered ; might be necessary to cover its then i , commitment. ! The Paraparaurou Society, actuated by the same happy idea as • possessed its Shannon relative, also paid in the substantial sum of £272. and it is conI sidercd possible that dnriug the ensuiu"- year other local societies may follow the same admirable example. It will possibly be remembered that last vear Otaki and Manakau local societies adopted that course, contributing respectively £738 and £426 to ; the funds of the Asioeiafion.

The total amount to the credit, of the Association at the end of this financial year was £5864.

The administration expenses totalled £64 5s 3d for the year, which amount included salary of secretary and all office expenses.

Appreciation. The Society has during the past year lost by death two of its most enthusiastic supporters in the persons of Mr F. H. Bright, of Otaki, and Mr R. S. Young, of Ohau, botfli of whom were , former members of the executive. The ; committee places on record its deep I regret at their loss, and desires to ox- > tend its sincere sympathy to their beI reaved ones. 1 Mr G. N. .Stephenson, of Shannon, left the district and had perforce to resign bis seat on the executive as a j member of which he had done excellent service. He carried with him the best j wishes of all with whom he associated. J The support accorded to the Associai tion by the local branches has been well maintained, and the attendances of ' their representatives, many of whom have to come considerable distances to ' attend the monthly meetings, has been j consistency good, a fact which augurs I well for the future of the Association. I General. Now that the strain and anxiety of I the war is for the most part happily at i an end, your executive trusts that the I interest in and the material support given to the Association by its mem- | bcrs and by the general public will still bo maintained in the happier days which now seem ahead of us, and that in our own well-being the debt we owe to our soldiers will not be forgotten. It also, wishes to impress on all concerned that its one and only object is to administer the funds entrusted to ; its charge in tire best interest of those for whom they were collected, and to that end seeks the co-operation of all those actuated bv the same motive.

Balance-Sheet. The balance-sheet for the year showed that the total receipts were £oS(>4 0s 7d. The assets included the following items:—P.O. Saving Bank, £SS2 3s; war loan certificates, £4SB; war loan inscribed stock, £1000; on fixed deposit in bank, £1300; invested in Public Trust Office, £1500; cash in hand and credit bank balance, £294 4s. Tho report and balance-sheet %vere adopted as read, a hearty vote of thanks being at the same time accorded to the chairman and secretary for their past services. Expending the Funds. Mr Henncssy (Shannon) said he agreed with his fellow-townsman (Mr Murdoch) that the Association should relax somewhat in its expenditure of funds. At. the present rate of disbursement it would be a century before the money was expended. Mr Murdoch though the Association was too tight with ifs funds. They could not p.ossibly .raise further funds in Shannon for the Association, owing to the general opinion being held that the Association kept too tight a hold on its funds. He was opposed to interest being charged on loans. Mr Murdoch stated that money was still in hand that was subscribed for the relief of sufferers by the Kaitaugata disaster many years ago, and he was afraid the samo would be .the ca.se with the patriotic funds.

Mr W. J. Howell pointed out that there was a great difference between the men who were destitute and needed assistance and those -who applied for loans. By assisting men with loans of money at a low rate of interest the Association was helping the men and saving their independence. In roply to Mr T. G. Vincent, the Chairman said that, speaking generally, the men who had been granted loans were fulfilling their obligations. Mr Vincent, who represented the Returned Soldiers' Association, Levin branch, said the returned soldiers held the opinion, rightly or wrongly, that tho Association was not treating returned men as liberally as they might. True they granted loans at a low rate of interest, bat they required guarantors, and anyone could get a loan if they had guarantors. They asked that all applications for assistance be treated on their merits, and that no interest be charged on loans. As things were the man with friends of substance could get loans, but others who had no rich friends could get nothing.

Mr Howell said it would not be feasible to grant loans of £l5O to every man who applied for same, free of interest. If they did this their whole capital would be u*ed up very quickly. The first charge on their funds was to assist wounded soldiers and those in distress.

Mr F. P. Waheley (secretary) emphasised the point that the Association's funds were mainly for assisting soldiers and their dependents, and not for loaning. If they loaned money it should be purely on business lines. He emphasised the need for seeking out cases desiring assistance —cases where those in need abstained from asking for help.

Mr P. W. Goldsmith defended the policy adopted by the Association. "Whenever they met a deserving case a grant was made, but if they could help ; a soldier by making him a loan at a low rate of interest they should do so as lon™ as they had the money to spend. Mr B. R. Gardener defended the policy of the Association, and pointed out that they had only about £6OOO to expend, whereas about 1000 men had gone from the ejistrict. -It was a dis"•raee that they had such a small fund. = After a little further discussion the chairman pointed out that the Wellington War Relief Association and the : M&nawatu Association, with their huge 1 funds, had turned down advancing loans altogether. He thought it distinctly unfair that the local Association should be criticised for their policy -when they were stretching a point to I help returned men, • The meeting then-terminated.