HELPING RELATIVES OF HOOD AND MONCRIEFF

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 408, 17 July 1928, Page 13

HELPING RELATIVES OF HOOD AND MONCRIEFF

RELIEF FUND ALLOCATIONS COMMITTEE’S DISTRIBUTION Press Association. WELLINGTON, Monday. The Mayor, Mr. G. A. Troup, presided at the final meething of the Hood-Moncrieff Fund Committee today. The chairman said that in accordance with the resolution passed at the meeting a letter had been sent to all donors of £lO or over, representing over £l,lOO of the fund, which set out the Public Trustee’s suggestion for the disposal of the fund and the alternative proposal, that additional cash should be given to Mrs. Moncrieff, senr. He read a long list of replies, nearly all of which approved the Public Trustee’s proposal. Those who replied accounted for £1,150 of the money donated. The only reply in opposition to the Public Trustee’s proposal was the one from the Shetland Society, of which Mr. J. Laurenson was president. In consultation with Mr. H. P. Blundell, he thought they might give a little to Mrs. Moncrieff to furnish a room, and he now proposed that £SO be donated to Mrs. Moncrieff. He moved in that direction. Mrs. Pow seconded the motion. Mr. Semple said he thought they might have made the sum for Mrs. Moncrieff. senr., the sum mentioned by Mr. Laurenson, as he was afraid the people written to were not aware that this old lady was practically destitute. The Mayor gave a statement of the account, which showed Mrs. Aloncrieff, senr., would have the £SO voted and that the £750 would be invested on her behalf. The balance of the money, £S6t> 3s lid, would be divided equally between the two widows, to be handed over in cash. The total receipts for the fund were £2,156 19s Sd. To this had to be added £2l 0s 7d interest, while £52 4s 7d was deducted for expenses, leaving £2,125 15s Bd. y From that amount they had to deduct the sum of £lB for an account received from McMahon and Company, in Australia. Taking into consideration what had already been paid out to the widows and Mrs. Moncrieff, senr., a balance of £1,683 3s lid remained. This the meeting decided to distribute as set out in the statement of account. Mr. Laurenson voiced the opinion that social work in which he was interested was made very hard by the lack of reciprocity between the various parts of the Empire in the matter of old age pensions. Mrs. Monchieff, senr.. was 69 years of age. yet she would have to live in New Zealandanother 14 years before she was entitled to a pension. Air. Troup said if it were not so they would have shiploads of old people coming to New Zealand. Air. Laurenson said a better provision could he made if there was reciprocity I 9 seen the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, but the farthest that had been got so far was to have the matter brought before a committee of the British House of Commons.