NO. 2 HOSPITAL SHIP

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2574, 23 September 1915, Page 6

NO. 2 HOSPITAL SHIP

.■■■•• = ■ * I FURNISHING ARRANGEMENTS ■ WELLINGTON AREA GETTING ' . BUSY No time is b'eing'lost.in providing the furnishings/for the No. 2 Hospital Ship Mararna,. which, is-to be fitted at once for service in tlie Mediterranean. Furnishings are required for .600 beds, and those are to •be provided by the four military areas —126 beds-from each. Wellington is already pushing on, ivith the work.. The arrangement made for tlio local area are that half of the quota of beds will he provided by the Wellington: Ladies' Military Guild, which has already done such good, work, and is now engaged on making tie'last of the leather- waistcoats for winter wear in Gallipoli or elsewhere,' whilst the other half will be-provided by the St. John Ambulance Association. The Mayoress (Mrs. Luke), wlio rests neither';by' day or -night,-.'stated yesterday that the class of goods most needed by the.-Ladies';,Military Guild in.connection!; .with; the' Hospital Ship was strong sheeting, good union, flannel and towelling, or towels. • Those desirous ofj contributing' such , material are asked to send the goods to the Town Hall,; which is ' a iliive of activity, and witli- the Hospital Ship work ahead this condition'is likely to be accentuated in the immediate future. . '

The -'Hospital.-Ship work is not tho only task in the hands of this energetic ladies' committee. In the, premises in the New Zealand Dental; ■ Company's building, ini Mercer Street (now about to)bo'\ vacated), huge. cases are being packed with all manner of 'goods. Some are addressed to London for the British ind .'Belgian , Fund, some to Egypt,-some to Colonel-Surgeon M'Gaviu at Port Said, whilst theire are cases ■of books i and. magazines for ..the troopships. . .On the second flow a ; number of women are engaged in packing sheeting, flannel goods, etc., for the New Zealand Stationary-Hospital in Egypt, and others go forward to the Officer Commanding tlis New -Zealand forces at the front.- : There are also stacks of material,'■ that will help. to furnish . the hew .Hospital; Ship. .' Later', on the Christmas goods, for tlie', men .at the front will also require some attention from these devoted, ladies, who have given lip so much of their time during the past year,, and are quite prepared to:go on;with the;good work. Mrs. Luke says that there is'no lack of workers','and given the material there are plenty of Jwoinen ' hungry for - the work of cutting, shaping, and stitching_ it Into, the- articles '.of!-,bed';.and. hospital clothing required, which serves to show the splendid spirit' that animates Wellington's'womanhood in the present crisis. •'