THE RED TRIANGLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 144, 7 March 1918, Page 6

THE RED TRIANGLE

AN APPEAL FOR FUNDS

; ; ; OPENING OF CAMPAIGN DEMONSTRATION IN TOWN HALL WARM COMMENDATIONS OF Y.M.C.A. WAK WORK The'.Y.M.C.A. opened, their campaign, which is to . end with Bed Triangle Day oh: March 15, with a demonstration in the Town Hall last night. The big hall was almost full, in spite of the wretched weather. Before the programme proper commenced the Patriotic Society's Band played from the hall steps, and inside there was a show of war films, lent for tho occasion by A T ow Zealand Picturo Supplies, Ltd. The pictures told of incidents of the Battle of Messines.and of the visit of Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward to tho battlefield of' La. Boiselle. The crowd got a considerable., deal of amusement out of the spectacle of. our two Ministers scrambling about amid shell-holes and mud, and climbing in and out of shelters. They were specially amused to see Mr. ■Massey in airman's leather overalls, /if ter he had been for a flight up into 1 the clouds .in an army 'plane. After :the pictures the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke) took the chair, and the other speakers of the evening .and the committee directing the appeal rauged themselves on the stage with ■jiim.

The Mayor said that it was his pleasing duty to extend on behalf of the citizens of Wellington congratulations and good wishes to the Y.M.C.A. in its effort to raise funds'for its.war work. The object was a very proper 'one. The work that. wj>.s done'by the Y.M.C.A. at the war was of the greatest benefit to the troops, and there , was no differentiation made by the Red Triangle organisation on the ground of creed. All were welcome, and all were helped. The npi/ja) was now jnade to the citizens of Wellington to give of their substance to permit of this grand work being carried on. '{Auckland had responded most generously, and he hoped that Wellington would not be second to Auckland in welldoing or generosity. (Applause.)

Our Duty—"Carry Onl" The Prime Minister was applauded generously as he stood'to speak. After the pictures that had been shown, he gaid, he thought the audience would agree that Sir Joseph Ward and he could speak with authority on the state of things at the front. Ke hoped the response to the Y.M.C.A. appeal would' -be such as to provide sufficient funds to provide for the war work of this association until the end' of the war. The time. was perhaps not opportune • for such an appeal, because in recent weeks millions of money had been paid into the. Treasury as land and income tax. In praising the work of the Y.M.C.A. he wished it to be understood that he was not wishing to belittle the work of the other similar and kindred , organisations. All were doing excellent work according to • their means. Even in this city the Y.M.C.A. were doing good work—they had a splendid hostel, and a "hut" on Lambton Quay—and in the camps also their institutions were well known. But this work here in New Zealand was as nothing to the work being done by the Y.JLC.A. in the centres of England, and at the front in France, in the mud of Flanders, right up to the fighting line. The officers of the organisation Tan all sorts of risks, but .they . did it. gladly to help the fighting men. The very best relations existed between tho officers find men of the New Zealand Army and the Y.M.C.A. people. In London the Bed Triangle institutions were a *'great' boon to the soldiers, of whom not less than 300,000 passed through the city every day. \ Many soldiers .were saved from the temptations and perils' of the great city by the advice ?wl assistance of the officers of the Y.M.C.A., .and by the kindly reception and good comfort offered them atthe Eed Triangle'hostels. In benefiting the Y.M.C.A. financially we should be benefiting our own boys at the front, the boys who were fighting for us, fighting to keep the war from coming to-our own country. Only Jiy going to meet the enemy in-Europe V'-as the- war 'being prevented from ', spreading into the Southern Uemi.'sphere.,'. He.hoped that such concentrations of. forces had been achieved that. soon the British would bo able to' strike a. blow at the heart of the enemy. In the meantime, it was our duty to "carry on;" and the thing of the moment was to do something to benefit the great .'organisation n'hich had done so milch for our 'soldiers, and would continue to do so until the end of the war.

" The Home Touch. Sir Joseph Ward ivas also greeted with applause. He' said that the Y.M.C.A. wero deserving of generous congratulations for the work they had done in this war. They, had been to the soldiers- as (father, mother, and brother, and there was nothing that'could ,be said that was too good to be said about the splendid work of the Y.M.O.A. The generosity of the people of this country for patriotic objects had been without compare in any other country of like size and age. He believed that this appeal would meet with response just as ready as had other appeals before it. Our men were brave and valiant, but they needed all the comforts that could bo given them in the trials that they had to face in war. Our men were some of them 7000 miles from their own land, and some' of them over 12,000 miles away. They needed comfort and cheer from their own people. And when it was remembored that the work of the Y.M.O.A. was carried on very largely by men who had surrendered comfortable and lucrative positions to go to carry on this labour of love, the people of Wellington could not fail to answer this appeal. No man living could say when the war would end. It had been a continuous series of disappointments, but lie was suro that all difficulties, however grave, would in the end be and that we' should win through to victory.

The Efficient Soldier. Sir James Allen said that as Ministor of Defence he looked for one thing —the efficient soldier.' And though the sergeant-major and the medical man might do much to secure efficiency in the soldier, there were other agencies that made for The medical man could not protcct the soldier from all the ills that might come to him, and one of the agencies that was doing rpost to give the soldier 1 this protection was the Y.M.O.A. He knew no organisation which carried to the .soldier the idea of home so well and so truly as the Y.M.C.A. Bj sympathy, by close contact with the soldier, the officials of the Y.M.C.A. brought to the soldier the recollection tliat he had home and friends in New '/Zealand, and that he was fighting for this, his own country. He was glad that the business men of Now Zealand had expressed complete approval of this work of the Y.M.C.A. He would not close his remarks without paying li" bute of praise to the noble band of men and women who had given up so much here to carry on this grand work for the soldiers—to say a word of

sympathy, and to give them something more than sympathy. Money was needed to carry 011 this effort, and he believed that after this campaign had closed it would be found that more timn tho sum asked for had been subsciibeu. The Time to Hold On. _Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh said that he sincerely trusted that tho WM.C.A. would get all the money it had asked for. The war enthusiasm had evapotited now, and it was now a grim struggle. It wa» therefore for tho people of Wellington to exert themselves as they had never done before, just as the men at the front were preparing for their supremo effort. The only way in which it was possible to help the soldier personally was through such organisations as the Y.M.C.A. Soino people had given their sons. Others had given no relatives at nil, and he believed that these especially should subscribe of their means. Some had even grown rich by the war. Was this to the oredit of this country? While the boys in the line were facing most awful perils Eome people in this country were grievously annoyed because one train had been cnt off which otherwise would | have taken them to the races! The | time had come now for gritting the teeth and holding on. .It had been : said that, the nation wltich had the ; best nerves to hang 011 longest would win the war. Soon the decisive hour would come, when -we should know i whether we were to shout for victory or know that defeat was ours. The way to show that wc were in earnest about hanging out was to subscribe funds for this war work of the Y.M.C.A. to give cheer to our soldiers. He was, informed that for or..j pound note it would he -possible to keep a BoMer iin trench 'comforts for one year. Surely it should not he beyond tho means of many to keep at least one soldier in. comforts for one year. Cenerous Response. Mr. Kf>rold lieauchamp said that he had never since ho had been in the city been associated with such a popular movement as' this. Everywhere they were leceived with friendly sympathy, and he believed that everyone- who had been approached had given according to his means. Mr. Beauchamp went on to give some appreciations of the Y.M.C.A. by tne Ring, Mr. Lloyd George, Mr. Asquith, Sir Douglas Hflig, Sir William Birdwood, General Russell, and General ■Richardson. As to tho broadness of the work the letters lof the soldiers themselves were sufficient tribute. All sects made use of the Y.M.C.A. institutions at the front. The British National Council had. ever 2000 centres; 35,600 workers 111 service, 30,000 of them voluntary workers. In regard to the appeal, Auckland aimed at £25,000, and raised £50,000.. (Applause.) In New South Wales they aslced for £50,000, and tho public gave . them £250,000. Tho American Y.M.C.A. asked for seven millionsj and the people gave ten millions. New Zealand was asked to give £100,000, and he believed that the money would be found, in spite of the income t.ax! The purposes for winch the money was required were such as must commend themselves. Eight up to the firiug-lino the Red Triangle huts were pushed—well insiue the danger zone. It was easy to imagine the comfort that a cup of coffee or packet of cigarettes brought to a man coming out of the trenches, chilled to the bone and caked with mud. But for the comforts given to these men they might have died like Hies. Mr. Beauchamp read a list of larger donations received up to date in response to the appeal- In all there had been received before the first shot was fired the sum of £29,816. The Subscriptions. Following was the list read:-— Wairarapa Patriotic Association 3450 Bank of New Zealand - 1500 Wilson and Canharn, Ltd., Wellington (second £1000) 1000 liorthwick and Sons, Ltd., ' Christchurch 1000 Mrs. N. D. l'erry, Taradale .... 1000 Mr. Coleman, Napier 1000 union o.S. Co. "• 1000 4. S. Paterson and Co., Dunedin 1000 Masterton Soldiers' Entertainment Committee °00 Wanganui-Waitotara Patriotic ' Society 600 Woolston Tanneries ••••■ 0J Sims, Cooper and - Co., Christchurch °oo Sargood, Son, and Eweti 000 Captain D. A. liwen and Mrs. Ewen, Wellington 500 Paul Hunter, Waipukurau 500. Kirkcaldie and Stains, Ltd. ... 500 Levin, and Co °00 Dalgety and Co 500 Joseph Nathan and Co., Welling- / ton •, 500 Masonic Grand Lodge ............ 500 Manawatu Patriotic Association 500 George and Kersley, Ltd 500 R. Hannah and Co., Ltd., Wellington •••• 500 N.Z. Refrigerating Co., Christchurch 500 Farmers' Co-op. Association, Christchurch 500 Akaroa Patriotic Fund 500 N.Z. Loan and M.A. Company, Ltd 500 Gear Meat Company '500 V. Riddiford 500 D. lliddiford 500 P. R. Sargood, Dunedin 500 Per AY. Rayner, Wellington ...... 410 Ashburton County Council 300 Kaiapoi Woollen Mills 300 AY. M. Bannatvne and Co 250 Aulsebrook and Co., Christ church 200 J. Ballantyne and Co., Christchurch 250 Cadbury and Co., Wellington ... 250' Wellington Woollen Mills 250 F. Ferrimaii, Ashburton 250 Macky, Logan, Caldwell, Ltd., Wellington 250 G. Hunter, M.P ; 200 J. S. Wilßon, Christchurch ...... 201) Pyne and Co., Christchurch ... 200 Field' and Royds, Christchurch... 200 Royds Bros, and Kirk 200 E. W. Mills 200 Twenty-live donations each of ... 100 Ho was sure that the sum aimed at would be obtained, but he was particularly anxious as a Wellington man that AVeilington should beat the record of Auckland.

At the call of the Mayor a vote of thanks was accorded to the speakers. Entertainment.

Miss Amy Murphy and Mr. Philip Newbury, two well-known\ and very popular vocalists now on the Fuller Circuit in New Zealand, entertained the audience with song after the speeches.Both were in excellent voice, and they were each .encored. Mr. Fred Collier also saitg two songs acceptably earlier in the programme, A vote of thanks was accorded to the vqcalists for their entertainment. Sale of Theatre Seats. The last item on the programme was the sale of seats for tlyi entertainment being given by Mr. Jack Waller and his company in the Opera House on Monday for the benefit of the fund. Mr. S. George Nathan sold tlio seats at auction. The first sale was at £5— two seats at £5. The next lot was foul seats at £5, and the third six seats at £4. Presently a box was sold for £10 10s., and another at £10 10s. Five stalls seats were bought in a lot at £1 each, and then two at £1. Another box, sold on condition that it be donated to the returned soldiers, brought £5 ss. The crowd had begun ere this to leave the hall, and the salo was dropped after some £90 had been raised.