The Daily News. FRIDAY, JULY 12, 1912. PUBLIC PHILANTHROPY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 323, 12 July 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, JULY 12, 1912. PUBLIC PHILANTHROPY.

All over Xew Zealand there are .wealthy men. who have won their wealth from • the people among whom they live. It 13 too early in the development of a new land for the wealthy men to found an idle aristocracy. There is, the nucleus of such a class, and already the class distinctions are as rigid as those obtaining in lands where accumulated wealth is handed 1 down from generation | to generation, • Here and there in New Zealand there arises a benefactor who itcognises his responsibilities. The outstanding example of this particular kind of intelligence is Sr John Logan Campbell, the nonagenarian Auckland, who has lately passed away, leaving a largo proportion of his wealth to the people. But the late Sir John Campbell's conception of his <luty was not that his death should be the reason for his benefactions. During his long lifetime he made the people of the city which gave him his wealth partners in it. His public benefactions, which included the gift of Cornwall Park, were many, but he unostentatiously distributed a very large amount which the public knew nothing about. The benefactions under liis will were very large indeed. Our point is that there are very numerous men in Xew Zealand who are equally able to make return to the public for making them rich. It is perfectly true that our penurious rich men are our most miserable men. There is a way out of their misery. If any >,ew Zealand citizen is worth copying it is one who was among the first citizens of this country—Sir John 1,. Campbell. Many towns of Xew Zealand pine for lack of many things. The rich local men let them pine. Towns that possess citizens who have minted money in them go 011 their knees to Carnegie for libraries. Towns with neglected juirks raise subscriptions by concert or appeal to the Government. Public spirit is often confined to the men with little money who freely give their time to the management of civic affairs. Very frequently our richest men arc our greatest handicap. Tliev often hold' unoccupied land, are able to stop progress by their influence—or the withholding of it —and if thev have money to invest take particular care to invest it outside the place in which it was made. Unfortunately a great many people believe that public spirit lies in urging the other fellow to do his "whack." Many of our rich men, for instance, have highly commended military training—for the other fellow. It isn't the highest type of citizenship. Inevitably there will bo many rich men in Xew Zealand, and just as inevitably there must arise a class of influential people who need not work because their father worked hard and amassed money they were frightened to spend. If the fathers are mean, penurious and lack public spirit, of a surety the sous will follow suit. There is no : way that can bo suggested of reaching ' the stony hearts of Xew Zealand's !

wealthy men, but it is a little, curious that private philanthropy is less common in this country than elsewhere. Perhaps it is because the Xcw Zealander is such si persistent leaner on the State, and perhaps it is that money is so hard to get that it is so hard to relinquish. The rank and file of people are generous to a fault. For philanthropic purposes the Xew Zealander is easily the best giver in the world. He is the best contributor to the Salvation Army, he sends morn money to starving people anywhere in the world, and he even raises large sums to give to a private organisation like the Y.M.C.A. In the civic sphere, however, he is not generous. This is solely because his rich relatives are consistently mean. It is not a local failing. It is genera], but it is a grievous failing all the same. The accumulation of Xew Zealand's rich men are either going to make a few people idle or a large number of people happy. The method of distribution, employed by the late Sir John Campbell is a method that returns good dividends to the donor in happiness. There need be no languishing civic enterprises in Xew Zealand if our rich citizens were suddenly duty-struck. The acquisition of riches is no virtue, but the sharing of them is a duty. Every man'who acquired riches owes them to the public, and the public is entitled to a dividend. To suggest channels for the benefices of our financial giants might he inappropriate, but it may. be suggested'-that these gentlemen take Sir John Logan Campbell as an example of civic duty and- public philanthropy.