THE LOCAL WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 31, 6 February 1931, Page 11

THE LOCAL WORK

ffl ME/L. SWING

LIBERAL RESPONSE

■Wellington people are responding ■.* : readily to the appeals for assistance * made on behalf of those who have suf- -■ ■ fered in Hawkes Bay. - " The Concert Chamber' of the Town <; .V Hall has been fitted up as a.central re- "*"■ ceiving depot for clothes for, the. refugees, who attend and are fitted on the .spot.- . Mrs. T. E. Corkill is,in charge, ' and helpers have been arranged for the next fourteen days. New. clothing will 'be ■ especially welcomed, and infants' and boys' clothing; pyjamas, also are needed. The Wellington Woollen Company has donated a bale of hospital blankets, and niade up the value to. £100 in juvenile clothing. '. "Four members of the Grocian Coiii- .■• 'miinity, with supplies of; food: and other commodities, have left. Welling- . ton for Napier. ~ ". A telephone has been installed in the ': • clothing depot of' the Belief Committee '■■-'■•■at the Town Hall, and any people who wish to make donations of clothing, ori 1 'require'any information arc asked to. ' ring telephone 45-110.. The various branches of the St. John Ambulance Association have been * busily engaged collecting clothing and ■■-.:■ foodstuffs for transmission to the * earthquake area and receiving depots ,<• lave been established at the following I places: Mrs. G. W. Barltrop, 87, Daniell - street, telephone 14-466; Mr. A. O. •,, Bichardson, telephone 24-156; Mr. C./ - ■W. Clift, Brooklyn,- telephone 20-211; ;. Mrs, -W.1 J; Osborn, telephone 26-795; ■ Mrs. A. ;Stace, Wadestown, telephone - 24-264; P. H. .Mason and Co., SeatounV 1 telephone 16-121; Mrs. 6. Johnson, 132, - 'Oriental Bay, telephone' 20-201, the - association's office, 106,, Courtenay : place, telephone 21-648, and at all of . ■ the Self Help grocery stores throughout - city and suburbs. There is great : need for: clothing, et«.,. and'foodstuffs, *' and citizens able to donate any such are earnestly requested to communicate - --with'the'secretary or-to leave same,at . any, of the depots. Offers of help have .. been received from Paraparaumu, and -.' a telegram/offering-help, has been1 .re-. , ceived from'; the . Mayor of;:' Picton. * : Messrs. Kirkpatrick and Company have - ; advised that thoy-have.received from : Nelson 3000 tins of jam and 6000 this -.' ;of soup for/distribution. ,A. number : ,'of offers of accommodation have come * -' in, and have' been handed over to the Town Clerk. ; , '.■'. '■' ~ ■ l ' The children of the Brooklya School wore sent home yesterday, by the Commissioner, Mr. J. I. Goldsmith, for the 1 purpose of making'plum;, puddings to *be distributed amongst the .refugees from the stricken area. The children, assisted by their parents, made a splendid effort, and this" morning between 500 and 600 puddings were de-livered-at the, school. , ~-,■ . " \', ■ lAt a meeting of the headmaster and . staff, of the school 'yesterday it was decided to .postpone definitely the annual school picnic, which was to have been, held this month. It,was also decided that any funds that had been collected 'for the .picnic should:.'be-used--'to al- ' ,-leviate 'the distress ;i.n : the earthquake ■ area.',! ..' ' . ■!.: ''.■'.,■.' ...-:,- '-~ :,;■,' AT THE DEPOTS. - -..-.. The. central..depp,ts,.for r ,'ihe,; i distr : ib,u; '^tion of food and clothing," ;the,-care, of ' medical cases, and the billeting of refugees presented a busy sight!this moniing. ■ , ■ •:■■■. .: , The Salvation Army, in charge of ,food supplies, lias opened a: depot in the ■' ' Trades Hall, Vivian street, to which all gifts of food. for. the sufferers should .bo sent for dispatch. .Telephone 21-380.' ■ Reports from Army- representatives in the devastated districts are to-the effect.that the Salvation Army maternity, nurses are giving splendid service there. Brigadier M'.Caulay hadalso , organised a house-to;house inspection so that nurs-. ing'help and other assist iiueo ■; flightbe given, where necessary. ~, . , TheI'St. John Ambulance Association is taking charge of. all medical cases; that'are not being cared for at the hospital, but who are being billeted in private homes. Any cases'of this description are requested to communi- ■ 'cate with th!o .office of the .association, Courtenay place- (Telephone .21-648.),! . when the required attention '~'■ will ,be forthcoming immediately. The association has| arranged .for the services of a number of tho medical profession free of charge, and Mr. F. B._ King,, chemist, Courtenay place, \will dispense all prescriptions gratis. Two St. John Ambulance district nurses,- are .still wdrkingat Napier.. St. John nurses in Wellington will meet the trams', as they arrive and will follow up the eases in the, private homes to which they are sent by the Red Cross. The V.M.C.A. in .Wellington .has found itself inundated with, inquiries from abroad, as well as locally, ' 'ing the whereabouts of missing persons and the condition of the injured. As a result it has been decided that as an emergency-.nisasure, in. order to meet , ■ the needs of the public and to assist ytho authorities, to place V.M.C.A. secretaries in the various centres of tho stricken areas and also increase the staffs already at Napier and Hastings. These men : will act as inquiry agents for the public; will accept personal messages for relatives in. the earthquake area, and secure all available information concerning the whereabouts of the missing and the condition of the injured. The ■ public Service , Commissioner, whoso department, has been .delegated to do the official work of this nature, has promised to make available to .the association on application any information his department, may, .have. The V.M.C.A. is also setting up recreation centres in the concentration camps, fi;y is providing writing material, reading matter, and children's toys. . The- Y.W.C.A. is co-operat-ing. Mr. L. J. Greenberg (secretary of the V.M.C.A., Wellington) and Mr. C. S. Falconer, chairman of the National. Committee, left to-day for Napier. Mr. Falconer also represents the St.. John Ambulance, to whose relief workers a car load of medical stores . were dispatched to-day. , HANDLING THE ARRIVALS. The Eed Cross has been entrusted •with the full responsibility as to, the handling of refugees. The society has now accommodation available for approximately 3000, the names of those offering accommodation having been tabulated and transport provided for with the co-operation of the Automobile Club, .As each family arrives it is mot by .a Bed Cross representative and provided with refreshments, while particulars of the case ni-o being taken. It is then allocated to a family, ami a chit is given, to the car driver and a record of this.kept on file at headquarters. Depots for refugees have been established at tho Bed Cross Chambers and at tho now railway goods shed, Thorndon. Each train-on arrival 3s me.t by representatives of the society, who take .charge of the refugees and direct them to the receiving depots. A . Bed Cross nurse is to join tlio Welling-ton-Wound refugee trains at Otaki to give information regarding accommodation, etc. Arrangements have also been made with the Police and Traffic Departments to divert all ears proceed- . ing to Wellington to the receiving depots, where each case is registered. Co-

ordination has been established between Eed Cross depots in Wellington and in tho devastated area, where accurate information concerning dependants can be ascertained. Lady 801 l has offered her home at \ Xowry Bay ,together with domestic staff, to be used for refugees if necessary. Many refugees are in a high state of j nervous tension after their, appalling experiences, and the society has arranged for several of these to be placed in rest-homes. ' , OFFOIAL COLLEOTOKS. The following collectors were appointed \by the Mayor's committee: — " Lambton quay: Messrs. 7\ T. Simm, Syd. Kirkcaldie, and H. S. Hislop. Featherston street and Customhouse quay: Messrs. Parton, P. Nathan, and D. J. M' Gowan. . v "Willis and Manners street: The Hon. Mr. Earnshaw and Messrs. Corkill, South, and Captain Nimmo. • Wellington terrace:, Messrs, H. Amos and H. Mainland. ' : ' Vivian street:' Mr. J. ,H. Whittaker. Cuba street: Mr. D. S. Patrick. Tory and Taranaki streets: Messrs. Hart-and Tandy, and Councillor Gaudin. Wakefield and Cable streets: Messrs. Andrew Fletcher and Councillor Semple. Allan and Blair streets: Mr. Jacobs. Kent and Cambridge terraces: Col. Avery and Mr. J. T. Spears. Newtown: Mr. T. Fownes. Shipping: Captains Monro and Macindoe. j Thorndon quay and Hobson street: Col. Mitchell and Mr. L. O. H. Tripp. Outlying districts: Lists to be handed to the Civic League, the chairman of which, Mr. Whittaker, will organise. The Mayors of Petqne and Lower Hutt have called public meetings to consider relief measures. The Petone meeting will be held in the Council Chamber on Saturday, 7th February, at 8 p.m., and the Lower gutt meeting ia the King George Theatre, on Monday, 9th February, also at 8 p.m. In connection with -fchfl Mayor's request for assistance for earthquake sufferers, a meeting of the Wellington Jewish Women's Club will be held in the clubrooms oa Monday next, at 7.30 p.m. , , The following telegram has beeit dispatched to the Prime Minister by Mr. James Kerr, president of the Petone Chamber of Commerce: "Petone Chamber of Commerce would like to know if an organised unit of froin^ twenty to thirty working men from Petone, fully equipped, with a transport- service, would be of assistance in rescue work in the stricken'area. Kindly reply urgent, and where to report."