RED CROSS WORK

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2722, 17 March 1916, Page 3

RED CROSS WORK

ORGANISING METHODS AND

RESOURCES

BilSii'llNG IN WELLINGTON

Yesterday evening a meeting was hold 111 ~ 0 Concert Chamber of the Town nail for the purpose of organising the lied Cross Society in the Wellington military district. The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) presided, and in opening the meeting explained that- in organising this movement it had been decided that each district should have a separato organisation. Canterbury and Otago bad formed theirs, but "\Yellington was behind both in its lied Cross organisation. Ho considered that it was the bounden duty of any man who was prevented from enlisting to do his bit by assisting with the work of the Red Cross.

explained to the audience tlTat for the purposes of the great war the Britisi .Red Cross and the Order of St. John had amalgamated. His Excellency the Governor had been autnoriSed to form ail affiliated branch in iNew Zealand, ; and accordingly ho had called a conference for the purpose of organising this work. At this conference it bad been decided to form tour divisions—one in Auckland, which included Auckland Province; Wellingwhich included Wellington, Taranaki, Hawko's Bay; Canterbury, which included the West Coast, Nelson, Marlborough, and Canterbury; and lastly, Otago, which comprehended Otago and Southland.. These four districts were independently organised, and were connected only by a central office, to which he had been appointed, and for which he served as a connecting link between the districts. The districts in the South Island were already in a more or less organised state —in Canterbury 10 was very efficiently organised, in Otago fairly so.

. Unless ithere was a thoroughly organised system it was impossible to do consistently good work, and although there were in Wellington many ' hundreds of women doing strenuous and good work, the trouble was, Mr. Moorhouse pointed out, that it was sometimes misdirected. As an instance, he mentioned the fact that Dr. Agnes Bennett, who had many friends working for her in .Wellington, had been sent such_ .large supplies of goods for the hospital in which she was working that she had to .telegraph "Don't send any more," while others perhaps had to go without. As things were now, it was often five months before goods that had boen asked for by the hospitals reached their destination. An. advantage obtained by having a receiving station or central store lay in the fact that whenover telegraphic communication had been received from an authoritative source it would be transmitted to the four centres, who would in return, if able, forward the quota they had been asked for to tho central depot, from which place ' tho goods would "at once be shipped to wherever thoy were wanted. By the fact that each district committee lin organising its resources would have formed sub-districts, "branches, and subbranches, reaching from the towns to. the outlying, settlements and stations, the work would bo more 'widespread, and an organised chain of communication and work would have been formed. Vet another advantage that lay with Red Cross work was to bo found in the fact that the Red Cross was an officially recognised body, and its goods were given precedence before those of all other similar bodies. \

In organising this work, continued Mr. Moorhousb, there would be no interference with the different bodies, their work. or_ their funds —no compulsion, no dictation. They would merely be asked to send their supplies to tho central station. Tho greatest service that could be rendered would be to send goods to the, de]>at. He would suggest that the best thing that could be done by those present would he to form' as j.bie and as strong a committeo as possible, with power to add to their numbers. This committee woftld then form an executive committee, and the executive would appoint a. secretary, treasuler, and trustees, and commuiffcate with,other centres. At the central depot the goods would be classified and packed, each kind of sunnlics being put into a separate case. There would be tho collection of subscriptions bv the. committee to be dealt with. No excuse cbuld be found by anyone in not helping with this work, and very large funds should be in without difficulty, as everyone should either join some working committeo or pay. Surgeon-General Henderson gav° an outline of the organisation and work of the British Red Cross. Tho large sums of .money which had been received in subscriptions testified to the public ap'pi'eciation with which it was regarded. Its organisation was wonderful. A telegram might be received at Headquarters in the morning for supplies to be sent to tho front,, and thy the evening they would h.ve been dispatched, and probably have reached the front by the evening. General Henderson paid a tribute to the work that was done iri Wellington,, and told his hearers that lie had seen b#xes which had been nailed' up by the ladies. That was worlf for men. Another way that tho latter could help was ill rolling,up bandages. That did not require any 'great mentality. (Laughter from the ladies present.) ,

Hon. Colonel Collins gave a description of what was done in regard to tlie Red Cross in. tlio Mediterranean. At the end of the meeting Mr. Luke proposed:—"That in the opiuion of tliis meeting an organisation should bo set up for the purpose of carrying on the work of the Red Cross, such an organisation to be set up in the Wellington Military District."

Mr. Martin Chapman seconded the resolution, which was carried, and a oommittee, consisting of between forty and fifty men members) was accordingly formed.

It was also proposed and carried that an executive committee should be formed, the convenor to be Mr. T. Young,