BELGIAN RELIEF FUND.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 55, 8 March 1915, Page 8

BELGIAN RELIEF FUND.

Mr (.1. \. Curtis, of Stratford, who is subsidising by £lO every £9O collected in tills <.listrid for the various patriotic ami relict funds, writes inter alia to Air I’. Shoeiuud. local treastucr of tiie liehiiau fund

A copy of the Timaru Herald of 30th inst.. I post to you, showing that only 5s 9d per head of 1-he 'population of South Canterbury lias been received by the local committee, and that strenuous efforts arc being made for the collection of further monthly subscriptions.

Do the farmers of Taranaki realise that the present enormous prices for their dairy and other produce is owing to the great light put up by the Belgians, and that New Zealand owes the difference between normal and present prices to the Belgians; for if the Germans had captured some French ports numbers of privateers would have prevented New Zealand produce going to England.

1 have seen it quoted "That gratitude is a lively sense of favors to be received." 1 trust that at any rate the gratitude of the settlers of the town and district of Stratford is not of this sort. The farmers in particular should now give more than the \ per cent., considering that their produce is higher by 25*to 30 per cent than formerly, and even the i per cent, was for the patriotic fund, and does not go to the Belgians. In Wellington, Mr Shallcras showed to me lists of money remitted, and without any adding up it appeared to me that England got about one-third of the total sums remitted, and the balance, two-thirds (or perhaps less) was remitted to the proper Belgian' authorities through the Prince of Wales' Secretary.

Mr Johnston, Belgian Consul , on whom 1 also called, told me that he remitted what subscriptions were received by him in Wellington to Count Lalaing, the Belgian Legation. 15 West Halkin Street, London, S.W.

So far as 1 could understand, both the subscriptions allotted to the Belgians, that Stratford sends* to Mr Shallcrass, and the subscriptions that are sent to Mr Johnston, are handed over to the Americans for the Belgians, but if some of Mr Shallcrass' is spent in London for the Belgians there I am not sine.

Times are good in England now for the working man, ami I think fourfifths instead of three-fifths of the Stratford money should be allotted to the Belgians, who are now starving, hi fact, both .Mr Johnston and, Mr Shallcrass, \ am sure, think so too.

After the war is over the English poor will need help, and perhaps now many English charities suffer, but not now the ordinary working man in England.