AMONG THE SERBS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 212, 2 June 1919, Page 2

AMONG THE SERBS

KEPATRIATING A NATION

; Sister Kerr, of Gisborne, who left New Zealand as a member , of the New Zealand Volunteer Sisterhood, and afterwards joined Dr. Agnes Bennett's Hospital "Unit, which worked for tho Serbians, writes to a Wellington friend from Nobicad (Hungary!, where tho Ist Serbian Army was stationed.' "Colonel Petkobitt, our Director of Military Services, asked mo to run a soldiers' homo for the Serbian soldiery, who are travelling backwards and forwards on leave or on duty. ■ The town is packed with French troops, and there aro practically nobilletfi for the S'erbs. I have 53 beds and run a small canteen at the same time. The military give me, or are supposed to give me, supplies for one hot meal in file evening and. 1 ooffee before they go in the morning. Colonel Petkobitt said I could have a whole lot of beans and onions left behind by the Arastrians, also rice. Of that, howover, I got none. Miss Sandes (l'kra 'Sandes) gave me some money for the csn- ' teen, and Miss Dillon had moro money given her by 'Grateful Patients,' and.she ' gave me that. Altogether I have been able to have hot coffee, with plenty of 6ugar, going all day, and a .good hot meal at night. I first?of all got rooms in an old barracks that had been a Serbian hospital and just, evacuated, but thn French ' turned me <mt of that. Then Colonel Petkobitt found these rooms in an old Magyar school,' also just evacuated, There was no kitchem and no ofiice. It toot me a fortnight to get the place thoroughly cleaned, and I sat tight in, the. other placo until I got enough German prisoners to' clean it. It was a real case of tho ''Importunate Widovr,' the French tearing their hair on one side becauso I would not turn out, and the others tearing theirs because I would not turn in beforo everything was ready. You have to ask and worry and -worry and ask before you can got anything done. I made a kitchen of what looked like a rubbish box at the end of tho -passage, and turned an artist out of a (-mall room lie had' commandeered- for a studio, to make mo an office and a store. ■ 1 have three large rooms for the- home, two dormitories, holding 53 beds between them, and- another for a , mess room and canteen. I have four extra, beds in that. Thoy gave me' a squad of six soldiers—five privates and a 6ergeant. Tho sergeant is.more for ornament thanuse, and, two soldiers aro only "halftimers." Thoy have other duties. The other threo, however, are mine. I have let one go home on leavo, and Headquarters has commandeered another, so I have not got so many as it looks. I sent the sergeant to Headquarters to get rid of him,- and they generally send me two German prisoners to clean up. I don't do any real 'work myself, but it takes me all my time to arrango tilings and. hunt 'up supplies, ete. A lot of Serbs who have beon imprisoned in Germany hav.o been pouring- through in liatchos of between GO and 1400.' I manage to givo them' oil oither a drink of hot coffee or a meal. Wo gave 1200 supper one night and 400 coffee one morning. The homo is very popular, and I have the 'beds full nearly every night, and often three' sleep in two beds, and generally . soino sleep oil the floor in the canteen. It is bettor than' the streets, whore thoy' slept' before. I Wiis going homo about eight one night; and I found a squad of 50 sitting on their packs at a- street corner with' a cold, horrible,.drizzly rain foiling. They'all slopt in the canteen that night. Everybody has been; awfully nico to me and done their "Serb-'' inn" best to help. Kobicad is better off for-food and clothing, than any- other :town I Jinvo seen, and there is a sugar' factory not far off, wlucli is working, end sugar-is compara-tiv.ely cheap. I have to ' get a miilFary order tp-buy. Serbia is very badly off for food, clothing, and hos'nital necessaries, and the number of orphan children is something appalling. 'It runs into tens of thousands. Belgrade is the headquarters of everything now. Mrs. Haverfield has done a great deal of distributing amongst the various Serb villages. Tho 8.1t.C. find- A.lt.C. have done'a great deal, too, especially tho A.li-.C. They have 6ent a lot of- money and material. Transport has been and of course is .still the great difficulty—no railways ami shocking roads, and part of' the time the Danube blocked with ice. Things', lrcwever, are improving, and if only another war does not break out by next year the Serbs will be ablo to feed tiu'inselvos. I. can't conceive how tho Balkans are ever to be at peace, so many conflicting interests exist, each _ Stato wanting to be the top dog and his neighbour's fields. There arc the Italians trying to take Finn™, the Bui gars asking for easy term.";. I lie .Tngo-,Slavs and , the Slovenes end tho. Serbs all wanting different forms of .Government, or at any rale each wanting the largest say in everything. 'I cannot understand tho proBulgar feeling in England. 1 oifly wMi F.-ome of the people who lliink the Serbs are asking too much from llie Bulgars eonld have done the trek with us ami have'seen'and heard what ivo saw and - heard. They would hot lie pro-Bulgar ■ very long. .