Y.M.C.A. WAR WORK

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2956, 20 December 1916, Page 6

MR. VARNEY'S REPORT

PROBLEM OF HOUSINC SOLDIERS.

The following report from Mr. A. Varney, supervising Y.M.C.A. secretary in. England 1 , has just been received :—

Shakespeare Hut.—The building of extra, dormitories ha-s commenced. This problem of housing soldiers on leave is a big one. We have now sleeping centres, accommodating 10,000 men weekly, and the cry still is for more. Charges axe extremely moderate, -according to comfort that can be offered, 9d., Is., Is.-3d., Is. 6d., bed and breakfast. When all the beds are t-aken, the men just take blankets and fill every corner of our building. October 7, 800 men slept in. the London Central, more on lounges and floors than iu beds. Of course, if. they cannot offer beds, the men take iblankets and occupy any corner without charge. At any rate this is much better than being on the streets, the parks, or the Embankment. The moral problem_ is very aoute liere, and! die authorities seem at their wit's end. Those who have been in Cairo consider the problem worse in London because often carried on under, the cloak of respectability. . .. . Howevor, much is being done, but yet much remains. • AVe think that if we could get a room in the Strand with a good social worker in. charge he would be able to do much good by meeting New Zealanders, arranging London tours for them, and! fixing up accommodation. Most men, as soon as they step off the train, rush to a restaurant, then they wander off seeing the sights, to the theatres, to the music-halls, and .often only think of their accommodation the last thing. Our motor-cars meet trains and scour the streets of the City, picking men up. Huts are open in most cases every hour of the day andl night, staffed largely by voluntary labour. , In our own Shakespeare Hint alone we have nearly 800 voluntary workers, the night staff being really heroio in their sacrifices to serve the troops. The women of England are working grandly, and one is filled with admiration for their efforts, but nothing they are dbing better pays than this "hut" work in London. Homohurch. —Wo have now secured permission from General Richardson to build a hut in the Hornohuroh. Oamp. In the convalescent and hospital camps lack of occupation i 8 the chief drawback, and so wo have suggested! a hut in which we can give accommodation for carpentry, carving, basket making, etc. If there is a demand, we may arrange to teach the men "who will only bo fit for clerioal work on their return, somo instruction' in typing and shorthand. Colonel Wylie, 0.0., Brockenhurst Hospital, is keen We hope to add a R. and W. room and social and games room, too. Up to the present time there has been little arrangement in tho camp (Hornohurch) for its social life. One piece of work which' has earned our admiration is the Wharepuni Hut, in Hornciiureh managed! and financed oy the Williams family, chiefly, I believe,, through Miss Hilda Williams, who is doing magnificent work, Mrs. AVarren, of Hawke's Bay, and our old friend, W. T. AA r illiams. They have a splendid canteen andl diet rooms in the camp. There, too, Miss AYilliams and her staff have done really yeoman service, for which New Zealand should be exceedingly grateful. The Williams family aro quite keen'. to co-operate with us, andl AY.T. has been to see me several times.

Codford.—Ray Baker and the Volunteer Sisterhood—Misses Rogers, Ballantyne, and Murch—are now.installed in the Codford Convalescent Camp, No. 11, which is being taken over for New Zealanders. Wo are greatly improving the hut and adding a quiet room to it, 25ft. by 30ft.' Sling.—Our extensive additions in the Sling Camp are now practically on the way. We aro the only institution in this camp of 5000 New Zealanders, our chief training camp in England. We are adding writing and quiet ■room, concert and kinema hall, and officers' lounge.' We aro also ereoting a social and recreative room in another part of tho camp, 60ft. by 30ft., to servo tho outlying portions of the camp. Our canteen and concerts, etc., will be centralised in tho central building. Hospital Visiting.—We havo appointed Mrs. Whitney, of Auckland, in charge of our hospital visiting and hope to visit all men inquired. for, as well as other New Zealanders in tho various hospitals about England. Inquiry Work. —We havo arranged with the National Council for all our work to be done by Miss' Bird of tho Inquiry for Missing and Wounded Soldiers' Department. You will understand that we oannot always answer your query for a few days, or a week or more, if wo have to get in touch with Franco. Miss .'Bird is most capable and will handle our work well.

Staff.—We anticipate that we shall need at least eight men in Eiigland, and possibly eight men in France. This should serve all our purposes for the war. Men of tho type of Blair we need most. We have plenty younger men as far as we can at present see. Genoral Russell will placo no bar on the number of men we send over to France, but eight should cover our requirements for the present'. We can-placo as many New Zealand ladies as you can recommend to us.

Funds. —We cabled for £15,000. We have arranged tliat all salaries, cost ofbuildings, equipments, etc., will be paid through rtlio National Council here. We hold £600 as an imprest account for helping men in need, office expenses, comforts, extras for huts, etc. The comforts for France if -worked properly will cost at least £1500 per month, which only works out at about 4d. per week per man. We can arrange to buy here on most advantageous terms through our English Council, and deliver in about a fortnight. We shall need to store with Hay, as cpmforts, extra supplies of socks, cardigan jackets, balaclavas, etc., these to he held in reserve over and above what the men get from other sources. Buildings.—We have agreed to take over from the National Council the huts in the camps used By our'men. We have also on behalf of New Zealand decided to give the National Ccunoil a hut in one of the London hospitals. Our men are scattered about amongst so many hospitals that this setms the best way of helping the work gei.erally. Motor Car. —Mr. Shacklock, on arriving here, decided to take up munition work, and offered us £1.00 towards the cost of a car. We.htve managed to secure from the English Council a Crossley, which we are using for pur work in London, meeting trains, visiting hospitals, . camps, etc. Mr. Wardell has joined the _ Ambulanco Corps of the Friends, working amongst the French. Our English Council found a difficulty' in getting him a passport for France. We have arranged for an office now in the Shakesn?aro Hut, and have established our headquarters here. >