FIRST ECHELON

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 220, 2 October 1940, Page 5

FIRST ECHELON

SUPPLY OF COMFORTS , POSITION REtSTATED ' "Some letters which have'comeunder notice recentty show that apparently there is still some lack o£ appreciation of the position in re-t spect to comforts for the First Echelon of the N.Z.E.F. iii Egypt," states Mr G. A. Hayden, secretary; . _ of the National Patriotic Fund Board "There was v. tendency to the belief that the men of the First Echelon," said Mr Hayden, had been forgotten, but nothing was further from the truth. T'liey had been supplied by the Patriotic Fund Board with sports gear, various games, writing materials, song books, radio sets, coffee and milk, lemons, sod:*/ water,-pianos, books and magazines, etc. for use on the voyage, as well as goods to be awarded as .prizes on board ship, and other articles in- - tended for use on disembarkation*, including tinned fruit, marquees, and crockery. Sums totaling £6735 in New Zealand currency for lit men and £6050 for .sick and wounded men had also been remitted in Egypt.. It was most regrettable that the foi-.low-up in the nature of gift parcels, 5000 cases of apples, arid more books and magazines did not arrive in. >. Egypt, owing to the diversion to the United Kingdom of the' Second Echelon with whom tjie goods were sent, but as soon as this position - : became known steps werxi taken i:o meet it. board's representative, in "Egypt was asked to provide additional comforts from the furids he had in hand, and by the first . available ship a fresh suppty of gift parcels, together with 66 cases of frnit cake, was sent to the First Echelon. A lew days ago he .had received a cable stating that these / goods had arrived. The Facts of the Case. "These," said Mr Hayden, "were the facts of the ease. He said it also did not appear, to be' fully appreciated that the Y.ftLC.A. and th« Church Army were agents of the board overseas and that all the work carried out by these organisations Avas financed by the National Patriotic Fund Board. In addition,. every padre overseas "was provided with money to assist individual cases The work done in the camps in New Zealand by the Y.M.C.A., Salvation Army, Church Army and the Catholic Ciliurch was financed out of patriotic funds in the same wayHaving regard to all the facts, Mr. Hayden said he tliought it would be appreciated that the national patriotic organisation had played its part by the First Echelon. No one . more than the board members regretted tlie position that arose when the Second Echelon was diverted to England and the comforts for the First Echelon did not thereby reach 1 Egypt, but that was due to no fault or omission >.f the board, which, as soon it was practical to do so, saw to it that this loss was fully made up . The patriotic, organisation through out the country, he added, was work - ing well and the','aim Of all engaged in the work was to see that the tnei> of the lighting services received th'> maximum benefit of the funds sub-* scribed. The public could rest assured that that was being: done.