AIR RAID FUND ALLOCATION

Southland Times, Issue 24242, 27 September 1940, Page 2

AIR RAID FUND ALLOCATION

Quota Of Patriotic

Councils

SOUTHLAND OPPOSED TO INCREASE

The opinion that the present arrangement for a Dominion contribution of £lOO,OOO for the relief of distress among London air raid victims should be adhered to was expressed at a meeting of the executive of the Southland Provincial Patriotic Council. Under this arrangement the National Patriotic Board, through the medium of the Red Cross Fund, *is to give £75,000 and the provincial councils £25,000. Mr G. Hayden, secretary of the National Board, wrote suggesting that the provincial councils might consider increasing their share. He stated that Southland’s quota on the present basis would be £ll5O.

It was decided to reply that the Southland executive considered that the present arrangement should be adhered to, and that any additional money received by the patriotic councils should be retained in the councils’ funds.

It was decided that all buying, particularly bulk buying, should be done in future by the executive. It was stated that the object of this was to bring about uniformity and enable a fair share of the business to be distributed among the various firms. It was agreed that the buying organization should be available to country district committees should they so desire. A letter was received forwarding two resolutions passed by the Women’s Metropolitan Patriotic Committee. One expressed the opinion that money should be released in Egypt so that the Gifts Commissioner could provide extra comforts for the men, and the other the opinion that the cost of parcels should be borne by funds collected by sub-committees and that no special appeal should be necessary.

To the first resolution it was decided to reply that money had been and was being provided in Egypt by the National Board for the purpose mentioned, and that the board was purchasing goods in England for shipment to Egypt. In reply to the second, it was decided to point out that the appeal for Christmas parcels was a special effort and was not the usual practice of the executive.

Appreciative reference was made to the work being done by the Welcome Club and the Union Jack Club in Christchurch. It was stated that the Southland Council was already supporting the Welcome Club, and it was decided that supplies of tea, coffee, condensed milk, towels, and ping pong balls, if these were obtainable, should be sent as required to the Union Jack Club.

The Riverton Patriotic Committee wrote suggesting that periodical summaries of the receipts and expenditure of the Patriotic Council should be published and asking that a summary be supplied for the next meeting of the committee. It was decided to forward a summary, to have a copy of it published and to inform the committee that the position was made public in July last.

It was decided that a gift of groceries to the value of £5O from the Self Help Co-op Ltd. and a gift valued at £25, previously received from the same firm, should be made available to the Invercargill Traders’ Patriotic Committee for the special effort that is to be made by that organization. The meeting was attended by Messrs W. Grieve (chairman), J. R. Martin, H. C. Gimblett, W. J. A. McGregor and W. F. Sturman.