PATRIOTIC FUNDS

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20954, 6 November 1939, Page 6

PATRIOTIC FUNDS

REGULATIONS EXPLAINED POWERS OF COUNCILS The regulations dealing with the raising of patriotic funds are explained in a memorandum issued by the Patriotic Purposes branch of the International Affairs Department. The memorandum, which itself consists of eight pages, gives brief summaries of the purport of the various regulations and adds notes directing attention to the more important sections. Nothing in the regulations applies to any fund subject to the War i Funds Act, 1915, unless at any time : the objects of such fund are extend- i ed to cover patriotic purposes in ' connection with the present war, the memorandum states, and then only where the extension involves the collection of additional money. Approval of Purposes Attention is drawn to the clause which authorises the Minister of Internal Affairs to delegates the power of exempting patriotic purposes from the application of the regulations to provincial councils or controlling committees. Bodies desiring this power must apply to the Minister. THe memorandum states that although the Minister approves patriotic purposes for which funds can be raised, each provincial council has the sole power for the province to specify the partciular purpose or purposes so approved for which, within its district, money shall be received and expended and goods shall be received and distributed. Described as of great importance to controlling committees is the provision that in considering any proposed expenditure, each provincial council must have due regard to the needs of any subdivision of the provincial district irrespective of the contribution to the fund from the subdivision. “It cannot be too strongly emphasised that the due observance of this provision, more than almost anything else, will make for harmonious co-operation between the provincial councils and their controlling committees,” it is added. Avoiding Competition It is not intended to approve immediately all the patriotic purposes defined, the memorandum states, but to approve particular purposes from time to time as the need arises. This will ensure that money will not be collected in advance for purposes the necessity of which might never arise. It will also ensure that as the necessity for any particular purpose arises, the collection of funds will not be hampered by competing collections for other purposes. Provincial councils are urged to exercise to the full the powers of control of authorised collectors given them in the regulations. It is stated that only by this means will it be possible to ensure that money collected will be received in full by the provincial funds and that there will be no extravagant or wasteful expenditure in the raising of money. The purposes of the National Patriotic Fund, the memorandum states, will be to consider the needs of approved patriotic purposes on a national scale—so far as the individual member of the forces is concerned to make provision for him as a New Zealander, and not as a resident of any particular district. It is added that as the war progresses certafn patriotic purposes will present themselves as more appropriate for help from the national than from provincial funds.