BIG SUPPLIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 306, 16 May 1941, Page 5

BIG SUPPLIES

COMFORTS FOR FORCES

NOTABLE INDIVIDUAL ITEMS

Substantial quantities of comforts are now required to provide* for the continually growing, number of men in the New Zealand fighting forces overseas. By the last transports that left the' Dominion great supplies of goods of all kinds, were sent by tliet National Patriotic Fund Board. One item alone was. 2,999,100 cigarettes and 11,1241b5, or over four tons of assorted tobacco. The NeAr Zealanders prefer the cigarettes and tobacco they have been accustomed to smoking at home. Some of the cigarettes; and tobacco was placed aboard for use on the voyage by the men proceeding in the ships to join their comrades. By far the greater proportion, however —1,500,000 cigarettes and 7500 lbs of tobacco —was for free: distribution to the troops in the Middle East„ in accordance, with the new policy adopted by the Board of sending cigarettes and tobacco separately in bulk, instead of asking contributors of gift parcels to include them in their parcels. This policy Was introduced following, the discontinuance by manufacturers of packing in tins. There were: also in the consignment cigarettes and tobacco for sale at cost in the New Zealand Forces Club, Cairo. In addition, over 2000 packets of cigarette papers were placed on board for use during the voyage 1 . Another consignment of unaddressed gift parcels was sent. There Were , approximately 31,250 of these parcels, and an additional supply for a ship of the New Zealand Naval Station. The opportunity was also, taken of sending more woollen goods io augment stocks previously forwarded , 6504 pairs of mittens, 3834 scarves, 158 balaclavas, and 226 pullovers being shipped. Hospital Stores. Hospital stores were another big item, the nature and quantity of the comforts sent under this heading providing a further illustration of the necessity of adequate funds being available to. enable everything possible to be done for the Welfare of New Zealand's forces, the sick and wounded as well as the fit. These stores, covered a wide range. They included tins of oysiters, glucose,. tomato and vegetable soups, baked beans, peaches, pears, apricots bottles of malted milk, vegetable and meat extracts, tins of tongues, biscuits, cocoa and milk powder, cocoa, tomatoes, coffee and milk, condensed milk, honey, packets of jellies, tins of toheroa soup, butter, cheese, sweets, dried milk and so on. The quantities of these supplied [Were large, and the tinned goods were in tins much larger than the average household size. The tinned fruit, for example), was in gallon tins, the tomatoes in 220z tins, the cocoa and milk in 91b tins, the tomatoes in 28 oz tins, the jellies in lib packets sent in tin-lined Q'-ises. The amount of butter shipped for hsopital use was three toons, and of cheese one ton. Sweets weighing 8001bs also went. Special comforts were packed for the Maori Battalion and for the members of the New Zealand Nursing Service. Outstanding items among goods sent for the New Zealand Forces Club, Cairo, apart from the cigarettes and tobacco already mentioned, included a half-ton of tinned bacon, 11 tons of potatoes, well over a ton of chocolate, one and a half tons of tomato sauce, 3000 cases of apples, 1056 tins of toheroa soup, 148 dozen packets of luncheon sausage, 180 boxes of cigarette papers, 324 dozen cans of whitebait, 16,7401b5, of honey 188 dozen lib tins of butter and 160 561b boxes of butter, 420 sides of bacon weighing 16, 7921b5, 333 hams weighing 67891b5, and 47 cases of milk; Besides these great quantities of goods, comforts, in addition to cigarettes and tobacco, were put aboard the transport for use by the' troops during the voyage. There were large supplies of writing materials, also sets of deck games, equipment for various indoor games (such as draughts, darts, table tennis, etc). soda water, cordials, lemons, biscuits, books and magazines, and each ship was supplied with a number of full-length motion picture Rims, featuring well known stars, as well as a number of shorts. Soldiers and airmen from this country (Continued next column)

stationed in the United Kingdom, and in other parts, as well- as New Zealanders serving with the Navy and the Fleet Air Arm, are also be-? ing well cared for by the National Patriotic Fund! Boars. Substantial.. dispatches of parcels and other com* forts are being made to them. A Big Task. The'purchasing of the vast voluma of comforts now required has in it* self become' a major activity of the - Board's operations. The knitted comforts and parcels are provided through the Provincial Patriotic Councils and are sent to the Board's goods store in Wellington; from alt, parts of the Dominion, but the other goods have to be bought, antf that work is carried out by officers of the Board in Wellington. They also attend to its deliver}- to th<s : Army transport shipping officer. is a tribute to them that not cnca_'. have they failed to deliver the' com; forts in time, properly packed antH: complete with the necessary ping documents.