STRATFORD PATRIOTIC COMMITTEE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 31, 4 September 1916, Page 4

STRATFORD PATRIOTIC COMMITTEE.

A meeting of the general committee of the Stratford Patriotic Committee was held on Saturday when His Worship the Mayor (Mr J. W. Boon) occupied the chair and there were present : .Messrs Kirkwood, Richards, Hall, Crawshaw (Stratford), Sangster (Scottish Society), Therkleson, Robinson (Tariki), White (Kohuratahi), _ Gernhofer (Toko), J. T. Belcher diff), Shotter, Skedgewell (Midhirst), and J. W. McMillan >hon. secretary). An apology was received for the absence of Mr A. F. Grant. The following were appointed an executive committee: Messrs #l. W. Boon, .1. B. Richards, W. P. Kirkwood. D. J. Malone, 31. Grenhofer, W. Skedgewell. W. J. Crawshaw, R. Dingle and J. W. McMillan. The secretary reported that he had been notified that the following representatives of branch committees and contributing bodies had been elected to the general committee:— Messrs M. Gernhofer (Toko Patriotic Committee), R. Dingle (Stratford Dairy Co.), B. Orr (Ngaire Dairy Co.), J. T. Belcher (Cardiff Dairy Co.), F. J. McDonald (Scottish Society), f. Bradley (Whangamomona Patriotic Committee), A. Coyne (Makahu), W. H. Robinson (Tariki Dairy Company), J. Therkleson 'Tariki Patriotic Committee), and White (Kohuratahi Pa- ' triotic Committee). Mr Belcher stated that the Cardiff Dairy Co. had decided to contributed , to the patriotic funds on the basis ' of 1 per cent, on the season's output. The Chairman, in acknowledging the donation, said they had to depend on daiiy companies to a certain extent for contributions to the fund. Mr White notified the case of a returned soldier, who was in receipt of a pension of Is 4d a day, and who had to go into hospital for the purpose of undergoing an operation. The Hospital Board had sent the man the account and he (the speaker) thought that the Patrioic Committee should pay the amount.

Mr Kirkwood said the committee would only he too pleased to pay the account, but it had never been asked to. Further, a lot of rumors had got about that the Patriotic Committee was not doing is duty to the returned men, but in every case that had been investigated it was found the rumors were without foundati«Wlfegarding the case under notice, ners of the committee had seen both the soldier and his father, who distinctly stated they would not accept assistance, so it was hard to know what to do in a case like this. It had h>e'n said that the Association was piling y.r> large sums of money, but it had to be remembered that out of 60,000 men at the front less than 5000 had returned, and a lot'of the men were bound to require assistance when they returned. Until then.it was almost impossible to know what funds would he required.

At a subsequent meeting of the elective Mr W. P. Kirkwood was reelected chairman, and Mr J. W. McMillan re-elected lion, secretary.