H.—22A,

1940. NEW ZEALAND.

THE PATRIOTIC PURPOSES EMERGENCY REGULATIONS 1939. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NATIONAL PATRIOTIC FUND BOARD.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Leave.

The Office of the Secretary, National Patriotic Fund Board, Sir, — Wellington, 28th May, 1940. I have the honour to submit a report on the administration of the regulations and the position of the National Patriotic Fund as at 27th May, 1940. The Patriotic Purposes Emergency Regulations 1939 set up three distinct bodies: The National Patriotic Council, the National Patriotic Fund Board, and the Provincial Patriotic Councils. The National Patriotic Council is an advisory body only in that it advises the Minister of Internal Affairs, the National Patriotic Fund Board, and the eleven Provincial Patriotic Councils. This National Council has carried out extremely valuable work, and to it, as advisory to and in co-operation with the Provincial Councils, must be given credit for the success to date of the patriotic effort throughout the country. When the regulations were first promulgated a certain amount of hostility was evinced in many quarters, but now that the regulations are properly understood the opposition to them has almost entirely disappeared. The success of the regulations can be judged by a recent conference of the National Patriotic Council, the National Patriotic Fund Board, and Provincial Patriotic Councils held in Wellington, when the work of the National Patriotic Fund Board and the work of the Provincial Patriotic Councils was definitely defined, and where it was also arranged that after the present national appeals had been concluded all appeals for funds would be made by the Provincial Councils, who would guarantee to the National Fund the income necessary to carry out its work. This means that in actual fact from practically now on there will be only one body in each district appealing for patriotic funds, and that body will be the local Patriotic Committee of the district concerned. The regulations were blamed in the early stages for the fact that contributions did not come in as fast as they did in the early stages of the Great War. It is interesting to note that in New South Wales, where there are no regulations, the contributions some weeks ago were considerably less than those received in New Zealand. The psychology of the war situation, until recent weeks, has been entirely different from the psychology of the early period of the 1914-18 conflict. The aspect of the war has changed considerably ; so has the aspect of giving to patriotic funds by the general public of New Zealand. This is demonstrated throughout the whole of the Dominion by the wonderful response being made to the appeal of the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and New Zealand Red Cross Society for the Sick, Wounded, and Distress Fund. This fund aims at collecting £250,000, and at the 27th May had reached £102,000, with only a fortnight's effort. I think it can be stated with certainty that when all returns are in the public of New Zealand will have subscribed the total aimed at. PROVINCIAL PATRIOTIC COUNCILS. The donations received by Provincial Patriotic Councils to the 30th April, 1940, amounted to £71,695 14s. 6d., as follows: — £ s. d. Auckland .. .. .. .. .. .. 15,313 14 0 Canterbury .. .. .. .. .. .. 8,016 16 8 Bast Coast .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,648 16 0 Hawke's Bay .. .. .. .. .. 2,312 5 5 Marlborough .. .. .. .. .. 668 10 10 Nelson .. .. .. .. .. .. 7,774 3 1 Otago .. .. .. .. .. .. 15,842 13 0 Southland .. .. .. .. .. 6,482 2 4 Taranaki .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,851 19 7 Wellington .. .. .. .. .. 9,645 15 8 Westland .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,138 17 11