HOROWHENUA COUNTY PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 4 July 1919, Page 3

HOROWHENUA COUNTY PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION

, * MONTHLY MEETING. I V : _ The monthly meeting of the Management Committee of the Horowhenua County Patriotic Association, was held at Levin on Wednesday afternoon last, when there were present:—-Messrs P. W. Goldsmith (chairman), F. P. WalkIcy (secretary), C. Kccdwell (Levin), Mrs Gibson (Shannon), Messrs C. Nees (Manakau), Frank Penn (Otaki), W. J. Howell and Mr E. G. Maclean (Paraparaumu). Apologies were received for the absence of Rev. Petrie, Messrs G. Catley, Eli Allen, L. St. George, Howard Andrew, J. A, Austin, Tatton Fraser, J. McLeavey, B. R. Gardener, and W. Murdoch.

Contributions Keccived. Letters ■were received, enclosing i cheques for contributions to the Association’s funds, as? follows: Otaki j Patriotic Society, £200; Shannon So- j e.ictv, £3O 2s 6d; Ihakara Society, £6. Mr W. H. Field also wrote, enclosing I liis yearly subscription of £l. ,

Loans to Soldiers. A considerable portion of the meeting's time was devoted to the consideration of applications for loans for soldiers. Four loans of £l5O each were granted to returned soldiers, on the usual terms, the soldiers to provide two acceptable guarantors for the amount of the loan. The soldiers receiving loans belonged to Paraparaumu, Otaki, Wcraroa anch Levin, and in each case the meeting was satisfied with the guarantors. The terms for repayment of these loafas and interest Vary slightly according to the wishes of the soldiers, but iu the majority of eases the loans are repaid by ten yearly instalments of £IS 19s 3d. An application for a loan of £3O by a soldier was granted, the loan to in: free of interest provided instalments were paid at the rate of 30s per month. Soldiers’ Grants. j

Three Shannon soldiers were granted relief to the extent of £l. per week for three months.!their eases to be reviewed again at expiry of that period. These eases were all recommended by the Shannon Patriotic Society for favourable consideration. Another soldier was granted £1 per week for ten weeks, and yet another £1 per week for five weeks, while a elothiDg allowance of £3 was made to a AAaikuuae soldier. Tho-hnceting agreed to refund several grants to soldiers advanced by other Associations —£2 Canterbury, £5 and £3 Wellington—and endorsed the secretary and chairman-*s action in making a grant of £5 in an urgent ease. Correspondence.

Several letters were received from soldiers in receipt of loans and grants, . conveying their thanks lor assistance afforded them. A mass of other correspondence was j read and dealt with, including a letter from, tliu 'Wangamu-Waitotura Association, asking support in a resolution seeking to rescind the regulation which protects soldiers from civil recourse bylaw for debts so long as any moneys borrowed from the Government xc- ’ main 1 unpaid. The "Wanganui Association contended this regulation was not in the interests of the soldiers. The [meeting decided that the letter be “received. ”

financial Statement. The treasurer’s monthly financial statement showed that the receipts since last meeting totalled £1517 7s 6d. Tiio expenditure during the same period had included the following items: —Loans to soldiers, £150; grants, £99 30s sd; petty expenses, £7 Ids. The Assoeia- : tion’s assets now stood at £6IOS Os 9d.