THE PUTARURU PRESS. Phone 28 P.O. Box 44 Office Oxford Place THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1929. A REGRETTABLE ACTION.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 295, 4 July 1929, Page 4

THE PUTARURU PRESS. Phone 28 P.O. Box 44 Office Oxford Place THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1929. A REGRETTABLE ACTION.

THE Putaruru Town Board, at its ; monthly meeting held on Monday, achieved a somewhat unenviable position by its action in declining to give a donation to what is commonly known as the Earthquake Funds. The grounds on which this action was based will not count for much in the minds of the majority of ratepayers, who, we venture to say, will be disappointed at the action of their representatives. Whether the Government should or should not shoulder the responsibility for the relief of those who have been called upon to bear unexpected burdens is at the moment beside the question. The real position is that hundreds are suffering privations through no fault of their own, and it is the practical sympathy of their kinsmen that has been the silver lin-

ing to a dark cloud. Happily for them, all people are not minded as the Putaruru Town Board are, and Mr. McDermott spoke correctly when he said that the mere fact that the Town Board was going to stand out will not make much difference, but the good name of the town is at stake and if their action gets to the outside world it is not likely to redound to the credit of the town. There are many .ratepayers who perhaps, are not in a position to give as freely as they desire, and they no doubt would welcome the idea that they were contributing to the fund per medium of their own money, for after all the Town Board is only the administrator of the ratepayers’ money. We venture to say that if the Town Board’s object was to try and save this money then the board "is not likely to earn the thanks of those • concerned.

Despite the Town Board s action it is to be hoped that the people of the town and district will rise to the occasion and demonstrate wholeheartedly that the feeling of the i town is not to be gauged by the action of their representatives but by the measure in which they give, not so much by the largeness of the sums but by the universality of the response.