AN APPEAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 149, 13 March 1918, Page 6

AN APPEAL

A CITIZEN TO CITIZENS,

Tho following appeal has been issued by Mr. Harold licauchamp, ( chairman of the Citizens' Committee:— Follow Citizens,—We are now in the throes of the greatest war in which wo, as a nation, have ever been engaged; and we tu-e fighting for our very ssistenw as an Empire. It seems more than probable that, through the unfortunate and unlooked-for eolltroso of one of our principal Allies—Russfa, the struggle will be prolonged for another year or more, in spito of the peace balloons which, from time to time, have boon put out by Germany. The terms

of peace suggested by her are quite uiitmniianie, ior, it these wore accepted, tliey would enable lier in tlie near future to prepare ior another aotacit, wlien we, wisnout possibly the assistance ot our preieut Allies, would not tie in as goou a position to resist ner assaults as we are to-day. ixo, notrnng remains for us but lo grit out teem, steel our liearis, and lignt oil, resoiutely facing luudaiiips, sacrifices, and Josses, until Germany's militarism is crushed. She is iiguting lor the hegemony of tno world, alio, if sho were successful, we snould ue forever crushed as a nation.

Hearing this fact in mind, the Y.iU.G.A. must look ahead, and so arrange its imaMics that it may be able to •'carry on'' the noblo work in which it has been engaged, on the various battlefields and bases, ever since the outbreak of this ghastly war. With that object in view, it has been decided to make a Dominion appeal for £100,000, and hold a lied Triangle Day on March 15. This is the minimum amount necessary to provide for tiie present rate of expenditure on the association's beneficent war and trench comfort work for the coming twelve months.

An influential Citizens' Committee, of which I have the honour to be chairman, has decided that Wellington and Suburbs may* be reasonably expected to contribute not less than £25,000, seeing that the Auckland provincial district, a few months ago, had no difficulty in raising £50,000 for a similar purpose. With that magnificent example before us, 1 feel that I can, with the utmost, confidence, appeal to ,my fellow-citizeiis to-day to do all in their power to break the Auckland .record. In this matter/ let us introduco the spirit of friendly rivalry in generosity. Already, several friends and sympathisers have promised splendid donations, but, to make an unqualified success of the appeal, 1 would ask every man, woman and child in this community to give according to his or her means. , And, please remember, that he who gives quickly gives twice.

The general, unsectarian and undenominational character of the Y.M.C.A. work appeals to all classes and creeds, and needs no commendation from me; it is vouched for by His Majesty the King, the Eight Hon. D. Lloyd George (Prime Minister of England), the Eight Hon. 11. H. Asquith, scores of high military personages, and thousands of our boys, in letters by them from the front to their relatives and friends. It would bo nothing short of a calamity, if, through shortage of funds, the association were unable to maintain its present high state of efficiency and meet further emergencies; but, knowing the kind and generous hearts of my fellow-countrymen, that is a contingency we need not seriously contemplate. Please do not wait for a personal" canvass, but send your contribution — the largest you can afford—voluntarily to the lion, treasurer. Wellington Citizens' Red Triangle Day office, G.P.O. Box 58, Wellington, or leave it at Red Triangle office, 66 Willis Street—the 6hon formerlv occupied by Mr. Edward Anderson. If it bo inconvenient for any subscriber to pay a large subscription in one anion ut, the association would be pleased to receive the promised donation in instalments of equal amounts snread over a. neriod of twelve months.—Yours sincerely, (Sgd.) HAROLD BEAD CHAMP.