COMFORTS FOR FORCES OVERSEAS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 224, 19 June 1944, Page 4

COMFORTS FOR FORCES OVERSEAS

Big- Total Of Gift Parcels

WORK OF NATIONAL BOARD

‘ In eight months between October 1 last year and the end of May this year a total of 250,090 patriotic gift parcels was sent overseas for the New Zealand forces. A return placed before a meeting of the National Patriotic Fund Board showed that the parcels were sent to the United Kingdom, Middle East, Canada, India, to various parts of the Pacific, detached New Zealand units, naval personnel, and also to a hospital ship. Other returns showed a steady increase in the volume of orders received under the National Patriotic Fund Board postal tobacco scheme and also the success of the postal chocolate service. To the end of May, 110,105 tobacco parcels had been sent overseas since the inception of the scheme on January 17, 1942. The figures for the past eight months represented an average of 4672 orders a mouth, or an increase of 1771 a mouth since 1942. Including 5934 parcels packed against orders and in stock at the end of last month, the amount of tobacco that has been used since January 17, 1942, is as follows Cigarettes, 32,6901 b. (equal to 6,538.000 cigarettes) ; cigarette tobacco, 71,2651 b.; pipe tobacco, 12,082 lb.; grand total, 116,0391 b. All the parcels have been packed by voluntary workers. Since January 17 this year, when the chocolate service was introduced, orders for 55,468 parcels of chocolate have been received. The quantity of chocolate that has been required to fill these orders, each order being for 21b. of chocalate. has been 50 tons.

Comforts and amenities to the value of £88,580 rVere shipped overseas by the board in the two months ended May 31. These goods covered a wide range and went to the United Kingdom, Middle East, to a hospital ship, India, Canada, and to the Pacific. In the eight months to May 31 a total of 58,229 cases of goods was shipped, of a total value of £301,480. Financial Statement. The financial statement for the eight months shows payments on behalf of the New Zealand Forces aggregating £730,778, the total being made up as follows: General, £516,576; sick and wounded and prisoners of war, £214,202. Expenditure from the general account included £272,927 for New Zealand personnel overseas. The expending agents received the following amounts: Y.M.C.A., £37,023; Church of England Military Affairs Committee, £11.000: Salvation Army, £8059; Catholic War Services Fund, £4000.; Air Force Relations, £578; total, £60,660. Imprests for the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and the New Zealand, Red Cross Society for the benefit of sick and wounded and prisoners of war totalled £187,121. Expenditure on behalf of troops in New Zealand (including stocks purchased and held for Pacific and other areas and also recoverable items) totalled £98,578. Administration expenses for the eight months amounted to £1932. The meeting approved of a grant of £5O to the social welfare committee in Ceylon for hospitality to New Zealand service personnel, and also, a grant of £2oo z to Lady Frances Ryder's organization in England toward the cost of running a club at a reception centre for. newly-arrived New Zealand airmen. Another report placed before the meeting showed that the total net receipts for provincial patriotic funds from the tour of the Dominion made earlier this year bv the Kiwi Concert Party from the Middle East were £6SO3/IS/2.