The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1913. WOUNDED SOLDIERS' FUND.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 290, 13 September 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1913. WOUNDED SOLDIERS' FUND.

(With which in incorporated The Talhape Post ‘ina Walmarino Newu.)

As there still seems to be seme mis- f understanding about tile disbursement i of the money raised in aid of rhe < Wounded Soldiers' Fund, it may be pointed out that every wounded New , Zealander will receive exactly similar ( treatment. Whether they come ( from the Wellington or Southland dTs- j trict. or whether Southland only raises ; ten thousand pounds to Wellington *s hundred thousand—men fr.om the re- , spective districts will receive equal \ benefits from the fund. This was "Ceelded upon at a meeting of delegates '. from al .parts of the Dominion held 3:j Wellington about a month ago. The reasons adduced before and at the meeting in support of a general .fund appealed to every fair-minded delegate present; in fact, they were unanswerable. A large but comparatively poor district may have contributed a large number of men, but owing to the absence of a wealthy population couloT only. raise a moderate sum of money, whereas a very wealthy district may have raised ten times the amount of money while contributing far fewer men. Further, it may happen that the poor district may be unfortunate enough to have a much larger percentage of casualties, which would, of «ourse, render its wounded fund pH:fuJßy inadequate to furnish necessities even. And so that every New Zealancer might receive equal attention and treatment, His Excellency the Governor and others instigated the meeting which evolved a system that would leave none partially provided for. TMs system has all the benefits of centrali-.. sation without at all interfering with the influence of personal usefulnesr sympathy, and administration upon which were based the only powerful ar- '■ guments of those favouring purely local control. Local administration remains much the same with no curtailment of their objects or efforts and only a slight restriction on their executive powers. The central executive acts more as a guardian qf the combined funds, and there can be no hampering local effort or procedure in raising I money. The main purpose served - Ithat it ensures equal benefits to all so--1 diers whether their districts be rich n» poor. It Is apparent that in the absence of this arrangement a poor district's fends might be soon exhausted anad men left to want, while rich districts might have funds far ia excess of what might be needed. By th\" new arrangement the central executive *iav make o levy on stronger £ov

The two million loan that is to be raised in New Zealand has .net With adverse criticism from the Chairman of the Bank of New Zealand. Nevertheless, the advantages of v, internally raised loan are very generally admitted \ leading Reform journal in discussing the subject, points out that a considerable amount of the Public Works Loan of £2,000,000 is to be devoted to the construction of needed roads and railway branch lmcsrworks which, by opening up new country and making more accessible partiallv settled lands, may be regarded as strengthening New Zealand's position us a primary producer. To our mind the large sums of loanable capital in the Dominion could not be put to better use than thus assisting to amplify our most valuable resources. Judging by the comments of certain petulant critics, one would think that the money was to be frittered away in the bad old way by the erection of politiea'J post-offices, the construction of purely vote-catching railways, roads, and so forth. It may be taken for granted that the Public Works Estimates, when they are brought down, will prove a disappointment to those critics who look for expenditure authorised on ether than necessary and justifiable enterprises. We are to prepare ourselves against the economic shock that v. ill come as a reaction after the war, and the most effective way of diving so

.to place our primary industries —and our secondary industries, too—on as stable a base as possible before, the blow falls. The natural expansion of public departments must also be taker into account and provided for; those who argue that this development should be interfered with by what they term "retrenchment and economy " are not taking a long-sighted view of the situation. In the debate on the Public. Works policy in the Council several of the speakers spoke as if the Government had decided to spend the savings of the people recklessly and improvidently. There are no ground* for such an assumption. The money will be sent on nothing but necessities, and necessities that slioulU, in tin ordinary nature of things, yield the most remunerative return.