ANOTHER HOSPITAL SHIP

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2572, 21 September 1915, Page 6

ANOTHER HOSPITAL SHIP

FOMEI ZEALAND TROOPS THE MARAMA CHOSEN early; dispatch: DESIRED APPEAL' BY LORD LIVERPOOL The provision of a; second New Zealand Hospital Ship has boon dccided .oil, and His Excellency tho Governor has forwarded tho following communication for publication Communications 'have > recently been received to ; 'the effect that tho Maheno ■has proved of tlio greatest assistance in attending to tlio needs of the sick and wounded, and that in the course of her valuable work over two thousand cases have been, dealt with; in a space of eight days. Taking into consideration this testimony to tho value of-' tho Maheno, and. the. increasing demand for tho treatment' and conveyance of sick and wounded, the New Zealand Government, mtli the advice of the Imperial . authorities, Who state r'tliat aa additional ship, would: bo a real and substantial help and would be eagerly wel- - corned, have' decided to fit out aud dispatch a Hospital Ship with the least possible delay. In view of this, it is .proposed to equip the new vessel on the same, lines • as the Maheno, and with regard to tho . question, of gitts -iii' kind,.: I desire to make a further appeal to the generosity- of the people of Now Zealand for the under-mentioned' (articles on behalf of the' new ship :— \ . 2000 feather, pillows to fit pillow slips of size given'below. ■'-. 3000 sheets (two yards by tJireo . yards). , 2000 draw sheets. ■ : . 3000. 'pillow-slips (twenty-one inches *, byvthirty-two inches).' . . 1200 quilts (bolton" sheeting), 2000 bath towels. : ... ' 600 water, bottles and covers. : . N- . ,gpoo:face;and i hand towels. - 3000 pairs of'pyjamas... :-..; - 1200 nightingales. . '• ' 1200 bed jackets. • • / - 1000 nightshirts. . ' 2000 ,day3hirt« (flannel). , 2000. undex-vests (not thick). ' 2000 bod socks. . 1000.pairs felt slippers. " ' 1600 pairs of day socks (knitted).., 2000 face wash clothe. , ■ COOO handkerchiefs (large). 1000 flannel .'drawers, (not too thick). .1000. flannel dressing-gowns;-. 1000 llannel . waistcoats - (without, sleeves). \ • .30 gross of various buttons. - Coo.hair combs and (iOO.hair brushes. _700 reols of cotton thread (black), and ; : reels of cotton; thread (white). 100 packets oLneedles (various): i, : : 950 pieces of tape (blapk) and 250 p)eces of tape -(white). ' 200 pounds: worsted (various), in' one-, quarter pound packets (twenty pounds equals-'tjiirty pieces).- ■ ' '50 sets of shoe brushes (patterns 15 to 17, . various assorted). . 1500 tooth brushes and 1500 tins tooth . powder.. .. . : 400 deck .chairs. ",.i'. '. : i ■ • 3000 cushions. . .. , - . . 1000. mufflers. .. . . i . ; 1000 balaclavas. : ' ( .1 ''.. ;"?W->?^'-.®^^i^V ;^uriib'er.:'>r;venrgical' '.'■ towels and-btridages of..calico, gauze, crepe; velpeau, crepe fardar, flannel, many-tailed . . .'. Two' addifional motor-laiinches are also required up to 1G horse-power,-28 feet long, 7 feet C inchesor 9 feet beam. - ' rarticuiars can ho obtained from Brijca? , dier-General A. W. Robin, C.8.C.M.G., » Defence.,' Office, Wellington. 1 have purposely omitted blankets aud rUgs'.'from: the-above list,' owing; to : y: their being somewhat costly, and I propose- to purchase tlio ;regiii6ite number' out of tho funds already at my 'dis--1 posal.! . ' '. i

Whilo old linen is, I understand, very useful in.: hospitals; I. am advised that only now-linen should bo placed on the Hospital Ship. . . "v • lam prepared to. receive connminiear tions from the Mayors* of Auckland, Wellington, Christeliurch, and Dunedin Ovho'/it^is;'understood, will in certain cases ;h0 : asked to act for outlying districts),' arid' also from the four centres of the Order of St. John. Where this, however, is .not practicable, I should iiko all'comminiications to pass through local mayors; but I hope, owing to the • great amount of work which will 1 fall. ; upon' mo prior to .tho dispatch of the. ■ ship, that associations will'band themselves together in order that matters ■ may bo expedited. '• v . . All cases of goods, with a list of the contents in the' top of each, , should : . bo addressed to "His Excellency •the Governor,, Government. House, Welling-' : ton,'' but I should like to be advised ; prior to their, dispatch through the .'channels.mentioned, above. Li the caso of Wellington, other arrangements will : bo made. The advico should state clearly the number of articles, from .where sent, and when dispatched. T should bo glad to receive any contributions :of tho above articles/as ■ soon as possible,,, and not later than Novem- : bcr 10, in order to allow time for any further .articles, if needed; to bo purchased." . It- is particularly - requested that owing" to • available,' the various articlcg contributed should be packi ed ,iii separate'eases as far as possible so : that ,the [storekeeper on tho ship "will lriiow which cases contain- pyjamas, which'.bath towels, which face towels, .otc., etc., and would thus be able to at once lay his hand on ■ any articlo 're- • quired. It will be noticed that tho public lmvo been' asked to contribute goods iu' kind, which aro most readily available. The cost of surgical instruments, drugs, ■ etc.; :■ will bo 'met out of the money al"v • ready in hand, as it-is absolutely essen•V? . tial that the medical officer in charge of tho ship should personally superviso and select these stores.' . ' i•. "Should there bo any surplus articles ■ after completing tho equipment they will utilised for the benefit of New Zealand sick and wounded wherever re- ■■ " quired. • ■ -■ . i ' The Government is providing for the hire of and all costs of fitting up and maintaining the Hospital Ship in every respect, including wards, bedsteads, operating-rooms, laundries, bakeries, wash-houses,, etc." .'V • MARAMA CHOSEN .TO SAIL' IN DECEMBER, The 'announcement of the fact that ■ New Zealand'is to furnish another hospital ship for/service'in tho Mediterranean or clscn'hero was made in the k /lousei of. "Representatives la-st by •; tho Hon.: J. Allen (Defence Minister). ."'Mr.;,Allen said that the country had already been informed of tho good work ' i done by the hospital ship Maheno. He " had : heard-of 'her lifting 2200 wounded men from the beaches in eight days, and since that ;ime slio had been engaged' between these beaches and the hospitals doing equally good work. This work , was of so much value that the Government had offered the Imperial authorities another hospital ship, and tho offer had been accepted, ''Ajjitiji the'Marama had been '-tihgaged. he;-fitted [upland ready to . sail about the. first • week in December. Iho arrangements made would! be • similar to those that obtained in the ■Jssc of the Maieno v . a'hajjotsoifflent

would bear the cost of hire, and charter, ajid fitting; up,' and also of tlio bedsteads. His Excellency tlio Governor would do very much what he had dono in the case of the Maheno, that was to say, ho would attend to the equipment of tlio Marama out of tlio moneys available. Ho was pleased to bo ablo to announce that the Government had been ablo to obtain such an excellent ship, and it-was hoped that we should keop up tho record established by tlio Maheno, which was at least ono of tho' best hospital ships engaged in this very important work. Tho Defence Minister stated after the Houso rose that tho Marama had space for SOS cots, whereas tho Maheno has 354. Ho said that ho thought it possible that the Marama would reliove tlio' Maheno, which would perhaps como back to New Zealand to re-condition. It was : possible that tho Maheno would go to England to' bring back tlio Now Zealand men so seriously wounded that tlioy required more comfort than could bo provided on a transport. If this should be the plan adopted, wo should' see the Maheno back hero before tho end of the year. Mr. Allen said that

the Marama, like , tho Maheno, would bo used as .tlio authorities required, and not necessarily for New Zealanders alone. . .