RED CROSS ACTIVITIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 29, 30 November 1943, Page 7

RED CROSS ACTIVITIES

DOMINION CHAIRMAN'S VISIT

AN INTERESTING A DDRESS

Mr C. G. White, Chairman of the Dominion Executive of I lie. N.Z. Red Cross Society. visited WhaUatane. oil November !). Jie attended. ;i meeting of the Eastern J3ay of Plenty Centre, in the morning, after a visit to the Paper Mails, and spoke to the members of the lied Cross Committee at their monthly meeting in the afternoon. The International Red. Cross; said Mr White, was. an international organisation formed by (i!) countries, with a membership of, between. 40-: 150,0U0,000. It was not interfered with by the governments of the eonntries concerned, and it had, no political or religious bias. All nations observed the laws of the. International ! Red Cross. We had had a "spot of bother" with Japan, and there was still some trouble though the position was improving. (lermany on the Avhole treated prisoners well. Red. Cross should be. maintained and supported by every person in New Zealand and by the Government. Mr White, saifl Red Cross was somewhat restricted in the collection of funds. Patriotic raised the. money and gave it to the Red Cross and St. John to administer. Pic urged that the Red Cross should iniblish the fact that it assisted Patriotic and should urge that. Patriotic should be supported, they supplied, amenities for the boys in camps, "'see. that the Patriotic get a fair deal."

Mr White said there would be great need of Red Cross work after

the war. It. was estimated, that there would be lf)0-200,000,000 destitute people, to be fed, and food bills alone would cost daily. The Red Cross can. help by raising Funds and supplying personnel for the work.

With reference to the Joint Council, Mr AVliite said that the. Red Cross, shared DO-oO in administration but did approximately 4/5 of the work. The provision of comforts and knitting was done, by Red Cross members, and the Transport Section was entirely Red Cross, it is entirely voluntary the members give, the use of their cars., which they keep in repair, and their time, and are only supplied with the petrol they use.

The. Voluntary Aid training, said Mr Wliite, will always, stand a girl in good stead, in peace or war, training • should continue. There were over 8000 trained Red Cross V.A.s 3000 of whom had done their hospital training. About 20.000 certiXicates are issued by Headquarters each year. The Junior Red Cross work is very important, too, in view of its education in hygiene and the forming of character. Ihi any district where native races come, into the ambit, of. the Red Cross work the Junior movement would be pushed on, especially health and hygiene. There were over 30,000 members in Junior groups. Mr White described the packing of the Prisoner of War food parcels, 35 voluntary women workers work five, days a week, packing iBOO parcels per day. Mrs Roosevelt saw them at work and said she. had seen no more efficient unit in all her travels. Censorship of parcels is voluntary too. In conclusion Mr White said there are oVer 100,000 members; in over SOO sub-centres in New Zealand, enough to be a power in the land and encourage the interests, activities, and rights of the Red Cross. We can work with the Plunkct Society, R.S.A. Health Camps, etc., perhaps can look to the after-care: of ex-patients of. T.B. Sanatoria. Whenever needed sympathy and health can be given by the Red Cross.