Comforts Fund Meeting – Local Clubs with Private Funds

December 1939

Mexborough & Swinton Times, December 02

Comforts Fund Meeting
Local Clubs with Private Funds
Position at Conisboro´

The position of local clubs with private funds for providing members serving with the Forces with comforts was clarified at the second meeting of the Conisborough Urban Council Central Comforts Committee at the Station Hotel, Conisborough, on Wednesday.

The question of whether the clubs should hand over the money already collected to the Central Fund arose through an appeal for financial co-operation addressed to every local organisation.

Mr. H. W. Gillott (representing Conisborough, Ivanhoe Club) said his committee were prepared to do everything they could in any other way, but were determined not to hand over money they had collected for the use of their own members. Their own fund was private and the Central Fund was public. The view of his committee was that what they did in their own circle had nothing to do with anybody else and they reserved the right to stand on their own.

Mr. H. Gomersall said the Central committee was a huge concern and it could not carry on without outside co-operation.

Mr. Ben Roberts said that if the club thought they could do better on their own, then they were entitled to go on doing so, but he was sure that if the position was explained to them they would see the reason for the appeal and they would pool their money.

The chairman (Mr. T. Shepherd) pointed out to Mr. Gillot that if every club in the district sent parcels to their members, there would be many men receiving more than one while other men did not get one.

 

The vicar of Conisborough, the Rev. H. T. Eddershaw, suggested that the clubs should continue on their own until they had expended the money they had collected from their own members and that subsequent sums should be handed to the Central Fund.

Mr. Gillott said he would place the matter before his committee for reconsideration

Mr. H . Lapidge mentioned that the object of the committee was to supply men resident in the urban district, but there were many men belonging to local clubs who did not reside in the district.

The Chairman said they would receive due consideration.

To ensure that no one was missed from the list of serving men, Mr. Carlin proposed that the list already compiled should be exhibited in the windows of the Council Offices, so that every family could see whether their relatives were included. This was carried, Mr. Spencer Baker (secretary of the committee) pointing out that there were between 350 and 400 men serving with the Forces from the urban district.

It was decided that the secretaries of local clubs and the proprietors of hotels should be asked to arrange concerts of their own at intervals, and entertainment committees were formed as follows: Dance Committee, Mesdames Oldfield, Lawley, Donaghue, and Light. And Messrs. Pearson, Robinson, Sabin, Labidge and Gomersall. Whilst drive committee, Mesdames Powley, Swinbourne, Oldfield, Collins, Light, Smethurst and Messrs. A.M. Carlin, D. Blackburn, J. Dooney senr. And E. Kelly; donations committee, Revs. S. Powley, Eddershaw and J. Riordan and Messrs. A. A. Whitehead, G. Oldfield, Gillott, T. Hill, Riley, F. Wheatley, N. Shires, Kelly and D. Sheldon.

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