CHILDREN’S DREAD FUND.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2471, 8 April 1909, Page 3

CHILDREN’S DREAD FUND.

EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORT

Mr. E. Whittaker, secretary of the Children’s Bread Fund, lias forwarded to His Worship the Mayor (Mr. TV. D. Lysnar) a copy of his report on the result of the appeal. The following extracts have been taken from the report: — , “This appeal originated amongst a few working men in Retone, who Requested one of their number to receive contributions and forward them on to Robert Blatchford in answer to Ins appeal to England, or, as they read it, an appeal to Englishmen or, not to narrow its scope or limits, to Britons. Tlie success of the first, effort encouraged them to invite contributions from others. A public meeting was called by . tlie Mayor of Petone, and a committee set up to circularise .the Dominion arm invite everybody to coirrtibute. the Wellington press and Trades Council did their worst for the movement. A list, which was placed- m the Wellington Town Clerk’s office, lias os upon, it by mistake, which was crossed off again. The proieef seemed doomed, ihe -Mayor of Gisborne warmly supported the appeal, and this was the first intimation of anything like public , action However, the.. “Dunedin Star ~ and “Otago Times” had opened then columns, and Mr. Breen (secretary of the Otago Trades Council) was energetically at- work; £154 was collected in a fe " days At the end of the week .oyer £3OO had been subscribed, and m a■ IRVe over a month £I3OO had been-CoUec-ted. In the meantime Oaniaru. I almerstdn Nbrtliy-ainh'Batclutlia diad.- been busv organising' local .collections an have all raised respectable totals At G : sborne the fund was energetiea.ly as a” live Bct. Mr. Grant, who. collected £122. The Mayor of .Dannevnhe nir Ries). though confined to Ins house fVoW'h hi ness, render ed good service, -nd as' - result of his efforts forwarded a ciieoue for £2l Is to the secretary. The Dannevirke lists afe particu ai y interesting, revealing, as it ' : characters and positions of the coi butors. His Worship the Major of Hnnhuima. (Mr. Rowe) championed the Ho circailatccl a dozen lists .amongst the olergy of, j The Roman Cathouc and th e Cluucii Christ congregations responded, but the excuses of the Anglican anch otlici churches expose the/ pitiable blindness and deafness' of modern cliurcluamty as represented there. Had the.appeal been issued hv Sir Joseph Ward or the Mayor of Wellington, one minister might have supported it, bub as it emana et frnm a working mens committee, wlio miMiCor- not be Socialists and !; Mr. Blatchford—well, not! “Woukl vou give money to Socialists. a S«I oJ me?„bk of the To,™ Conned. “Bread is wbat is asked foi, and J Jir fiones ” said Mr. Rowe in effect.? The™ Se been some splendid exampko Of self-denial in connection with this anneal One old gentlewoman, With.an income of £3 a month, contributed £l- - WanSmii High ScliooUfpr .girls abi idea of a picnic, and sent the °monev (£3O) to the Mayor towards the Bread -Fund. . At. Oamaru the Sunday Schpol picnics were given up, the money forwarded" to the Oamaru fund The central committee at Petone coheoted from various sources a sum ot £249 9s sd. Altogether, tlie various amounts total something near £3OOO, of which £IBOO has been forwarded to means of getting to l™"'--Sf’SySe/A ,mc f - Srv'to alleviate Britain’s distress, the 3t is highly creditable ,to the . working men who conceived it, the press which supported it, and, last but not least ,the generosity of tlie contributois who possess souls above the meanness and narrowness of parochial action.