DEFENCE COMMITTEE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16722, 6 May 1925, Page 9

DEFENCE COMMITTEE.

ANNUAL MEETING. Tile annual meeting of the Citizens’ Defence Committee was held in the Borough Cbnucil Chambers yesfevdav afternoon. there being present: His Worship the Mayor, Mr G. Wildish, and Messrs 11. 11. DeCosta. G. Barton. J. B. Broadhurst. G. W. Humphreys, J. Xisbctt, A. If. Wallis. The report- was rend and adopted. The chairman, Mr Wildish, said that it had during the slump, been necessary to nurse some of (he mortgages which they had given. They had borrowed £ICCO from the War Fuuds Council to sec them through. There were men slill coming forward with genuine claims, and the committee had done its best to help tho*e who helped themselves. Mr DeCosta and himself were able to devote a errtain amount of time each day to the claims and' other matfen?. Mr DeCosta said that owing to the non-payment, of interest bv some of those to whom the committee’s money had been lent it had necessitated the borrow. 7ng of £IOOO during the year. Had (he committee accepted' the advice tendered them and taken up Borough Council bonds they would have been in a bet tor position. It would he necessary to reconsider their financial position in the future, and 1 lie hoped that the trustees would not. lend out. the money in big amounts as they had done before. Mr G. Barton said 1 that it was no use j whipping the eat now. He had tried to get them to take up Council bonds hut j the matter was done with now. Some of the men to whom large amounts had been lent, wore not soldiers.

The chairman said that the amounts fell duo at the end of (his year and the beginning of next year. Some of (he places on which money had been loaned were lent- were in a bad way, hut if held over would probably come out nil right. Mr Barton : How much has not been paid ? Mr Brondliuvst thought, that when the money became due it should ho lent out : n small amounts to returned soldim-s. That, should be a recommendation to the trustees. The chairman said that the mv'w had been lent out for five years, and until ♦ hnt time was up their hands w"'-e tied. Tt was time that, the money was lent on* in small amounts. Mr Humphreys agreed that th« . p-v-L lion should he reviewed, beenum the money was raised to be'n the soldier l , and he thought thev should nl«o endeavor to assist the children of the soldi'"'-' Possibly they rou'd endow a s-hoiarshin for the soldiers’ children. Bv doing that the'- would he helping * lie so'iders. Mr Wallis moved that when n”v of the lar.ro amounts were V'-funded' ' the mono-, he net reinvested until a mectinev: of the eoinniiltoe decided' on the' best nimns of doing so. The chn.irnju.ii agreed that 'her« <.im»ld be a proper reorganisation o f (he afl’aire of the committee. In the mst (heir hands were tied, and the'- had net. v. 4 the results thev expected. He was. sure Hint thev were all agreed thaf fho money, should he 'out cut in small rum* and for short, periods Mr DeCosta, seconded Mr Wallis' motion. and honed the trustees would take a more commonsense view of things. Mr, Wallis: I don’t think (hat at ;-11. Mr Wildish : T was not a trustee wh.cn Ihe monev was lent, ov-f. hut T don I think that von should sav that. The trustee* after all only, carried out the wishes of the committee. The motion was‘carried unanimously. The claims' committee, consisting of Messrs G. Wildish (charimmi). H. H. DeCosta. and IV. G. Sherrnll, were reappointment. Mr Broadhurst asked what the policy of the claims hoard was. Did they confine assistance solely to men who had been - wounded or to all soldiers who needed' relief. The chairman said that they helped soldiers who wore 'sick and could not. work, and also men whose pensions were cut down. Tlio committee did not turn down a, man until they had fully investigated the position, and they did not stick to a hard and fast mle of assisting onlv the sick and wounded men. He hoped.that at the end of the year everyone would ho present at the meeting, so that the committee would have the full support, of all members. 'The administration expense- were as follows : Salary. £189: rent, £7Q : printing. etc., £8 3s 6d: sundries, £52 0s 3d.