WORK FOR SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 201, 14 May 1918, Page 3

WORK FOR SOLDIERS

COUNTESS OF LIVERPOOL FUND

ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of ;l,p j|iivuiv.-.h i>m Countess of Liverpool Kund was I o ,| »> Hio Council Chambers «l h' - noon. The Mayoress (Mrs. J J'" | „I, \\ presided. ' ' •

The iuimwl report presented l» v (| m

the various brancvs of our worl; Imve been carried on with unabated energy during the your. \\ B |~,v o ])lU( | lw | /id cases of Dominion gift parcel*, ami liicsc cases, with the large number puokod by (he Citizens' Gift Fund, have beon iimi)lo to make up our quota of (WOO parrot u mouth which have been sent In the Irenoh and Egyptian fronts. Wo also sent Christmas gifts to thn Siiinoaii gnrrisoji, every man rwiiiving one. SJiiico August last, by arrangement with Iho other centres, we have been \ tilting post cards in our parcels asking the recipients to return them us a receipt for the pareel. This has proved a great success, and ire have received eouio thousands of these post cards with the most gratify, ing words of appreciation. Wβ have also sent parcels by post to the Wireless Troop in Mesopotamia, and havo hail numerous letters of thank's for them. On three occasions Ita. ,]. R. Gibbons and her Surprise But; Committee ijupplied these parcels. Acting on General Sir Andrew Russell's advice, wo aro most careful to send onl.v nrticles made iu Now Zealand, except tobacco, cigareiia*, and handkerchiefs. "We should like lo express here o.ur d.'eep gratitude to our country friends, who so nobly stand by us in every undertaking.. They have either «nt us excellent parcels or their equivalent, and also have helped us by sewing, knitting, etc. If it were not for their very liberal assistance many of our schemes could not have been ••.-arricd out. Ouv president inaugurated a plan by which Ihe public school children, oi , the whole district were invited to subscribe to a plum pudding fund, the subscription being cue shilling, and each sulvcribcr received a 'alwl upon

which his of her name was inscribed, the label being returned and fastened on the tin of. plum pudding. This proved a great success, and no fewor than 10,500 children subscribed, so many, indeed, that the supply of plum puddings ran short and the balmico of labels were used up on tins of cuke and sweets. In Jn.'j the president travelled thwiigh most ot the district and interviewed a large number of people interested in our work with great success. "During the year our workers nave supplied, roughly, 38,000 housewives and 30,000 holdalls. " -Of this nuinter not quite half were contributed by kindred I societies in Auckland and Christchurch. The Minister of Munitions and Supplies, in his report, spoke most favourably ef our work in carrying out this agreement with the Government, and has always signified his appreciation in every possible way. Diiriiu; the year the Government made arrangements by which ws could procure suitable wool for our work at a reasonable price, which has proved a great boon to war workers all over the country. In September, at tho request of Her Excellency tho Countess of Liverpool, wo sent out an appeal for clothing for the French repatrics at Etrambiers Hostel, for which tho Now Zealand Government has undertaken the responsibility. Our country friends responded with their usual liberality, and we had eevevnl working parties at the Town Hull, which resulted in a largo quantity of useful gnrmenta being collected aud sent to England. In addition thorn is now another large .consignment ready to go away. "Last November we were requested to call for funds to allow tho voluninrinurses in Egypt to havo a holiday, aa they had been working continuously for two yenrs, and a rest was considered . nbsoliitely necessary. The amount required was ..CIWO. In answer lo onr appeal for funds Hip full amount was subscribed, iind wo cabled it to the sister-m----rlmrgo, New Zealand Soldiers' Club, Hcliopolis, Egypt. On every transport leaving wo place a large quantity of cake, in the supplying of which we «re assisted by Mesdames Nntlian, Blnndoll, Moorhouse", Joseph, iwd Hiss Coatcs. Wo also place on board cases of books and magazines, balaclavas, mufflers, and scarves for the soldiers on board. "The committee would like to thank Tier Excellency the Countess of Liverpool, D.C.8.E., for her never-failing sympathy and readiness to help us in every way; all our friends who have helped us so cheerfully, includine the Spinsters' Club; Miss Gladys CampWl; the gentlemen who have helped us with the doming of the housewives and with the packing, wiring, and stencilling of the cases; tho Indies of the Press; His Worship the Mayor and his councillors; the Citizens Service League, who are always Teady tocome to onr assistance whenever called upon; and the school children, for the great assistance given by them in connection with the housewives and in many other ways." The balance-sheet; read by Mrs. J. Findlay, showed payments as follow:— Cake for troopships, .£212 17s. lid.; housewives, £17U Os. Id.; wool, .£1228 16s. 7d.; parcels, .£'2751 Os. 7d.; Christmas Fund, ,£B7B 15s. 8(1.; French Fund. <K0; shirts, .£l3l 2s. 5d.; vol. sisters' holiday fund, .£3Ol Is.; cost of cablegram, petty cash, postage, etc., Mi; travelling expenses, .£ls; stationery, packing cases, labour, carting, sundries, ,£232 ss. lid.; balance cash Bank of New Zealand (Te Aro), .£1275 los. Id.; total, .£BBO4 17s. 3d. Receipts were as follow:—Balance previous year, .£1374 Ss. 4d.; housewives, ,£1684 13.5. 2d.; wool, .£727 os. Bd.; parcels, ,£1631 Bs. 5d.; Christmas gifts (puddings), •£2445 175.; French Fund, .£73 Is. 6d.: shirts, ,£254 8s 4d.; general fund, ,£309 lGs. Gd.j vol. sisters' holiday fund, £'M ■3s. 4d.; general fund, ,£BBO4 17s. 3d.

In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, Mrs. Luke eulogised the constancy of effort which was so admirable a feature of the workers who carried on this task of supplying comforts to the troops. ]t was for the men who were well that they were working, and jvhere their work stopped the Bed Cross stepped in. Enormous though it was, yet it was only part o.i" the debt which they owed to the brave Ixrys who were doing such rplendid work at the front. For those .mouppt their workers who had met with deep sorrow dur-, ing the year, Mrs. Luke, on behalf of those present, offered the deepest sympathy. Reference to the work done by schoolchildren was made, and Mrs. Luko said she could not but ipecmlly mention that done by the Terrace schoolchildren, who had been constant sind keen in their efforts for supplying , soldiers' comforts. The work of Mrs. Crawford, lion, fee, was eulogised, and a vote of thanks to her and her assistant secretary, Mrs. G. Tripe, was passed. The election of officers and committee resulted in the persoinel being unchanged. , Afternoon tea brought the proceeding* to a close. A great many postcards were received by the Countess of Liverpool Fund Committoe yesterdny from soldiers on active service acknowledging the receipt of gift parcels and the ijreat appreciation which was felt in regurd to their contents.