For the Wounded

Levin Daily Chronicle, 8 February 1917, Page 4

For the Wounded

THE WAR CONTINGENT'S ASSOCIATION'S WORK. (From a Special Correspondent). London, Dec. 18. Perhaps there air-e '12,000 New Zealand troops in England to-day, include ing th 6 sick in hospitals and the fit men and reinforcements in camp. So it can be imagined the War Contingent Association, which is the official

welfare organization for the unfit, has its hands full arranging for the Christmas entertainment of them all. A committee of the association was set up for the purpose, and it had no difficulty in one or two cases in devolving the bulk of the work on to the local committees, which are more or lees permanent bodies. In some of the camps there-are most capable committees whose talent runs even to

the length of pantomime; and where this is so the Association merely pays over per capita appropriation for Christ-mas festivity. Oodford, Brookenhurst and Walton all come under this head, 'aaxranting .perthaps 3500 men. Ilornchurch, the Convalescent Hospital near London, is in a different category. Until irecently there were many / staff changes here and 1 there does not see.m to have been a particularly successful organization of local talent, so the association lias lately paid a great deal of -attention to this important camp. ilt is here that the committee, of which Lady Kardwicke, is chairman, is devoting moit of its attention. And here, as ekewhere a whole day's entertainment was provided, winding up with a

pantomime in the evening. The New Zealand soldiers display an extraordinary amount of talent and have astonished British audiences again and again by providing the whole of the program and fitting up the hall and scenery with their own hands. Miss Kosmary Rees, the well-known New Zealand l actress, is in- general charge of the entertainment for all the camps. Mrs Leslie Harris and Miss McKenzie are the other members of the committee.

ONE MORE DANCE. The Christmas at the Reinforcement Camp at Sling is entirely in the handis of the military, hut the War Contingent Association lias a considerabl problem to deal with in the entertainment of the men who happen be on leave. Estimates of numbers in wan- time are rather tricky. Until a late hour it was not known whether the War Office would permit leave or not. Then it became quite certain that a few hundred men would bet in London at a loose-end, for all the hospitals devote Christmas to entertaining their patient® and rarely receive visitors. A separate committee was accordingly set up (with Mr Davis as chairman) to arrange that these men should have a Christmas ay well as the other. A monster Christmas dinner was decided upon, with a concert in the afternoon, breaking just about six. But it looked too soft a thing (for the hotels and the harpies) to throw on the dreary streets of London. for an idle evening such a swarm of homeless and 'unoccupied men. It was idle to ignore the possibilities of such an arrangement, and the committee decided that something must be done for the evening too. Obviously a dance was the best way to pass the evening. But what about girls? Strange to say, in these manlees days one of the .most difficult tasks is to find a sufficiency of girls for soldier dances. There are so few of the fair sex whose

time is not fully occupied in war work. But Mrs Empson and some others undertook to find partners, and in. the week or two before Christmas they are canvassing every possible New Zealand girl within a radius of London. The Ohiristmas day program has accordingly been extended to keep the men entertained for the, whole evening.

WORDS OF APPRECIATION. Mr Massey and Sir Joseph 'Ward paid a second visit to the rooms of the War Contingent Association the other day at the invitation of the executive, to hear a statement on the work and to see something of the system under which it is carried out. The High Commissioner (Sir T. Mackenzie) and -Mr' Andirew Fisher (High Commissioner for Australia) also were present. Lord Plunket, who was in the chair, read a brief statement outlining the widespreading activities of the association. Mr Massey said he was well aware of the extent and importance of the work, of which he had heard from soldiers both here and in France. He promised that he would have printed as a "white paper" the statement Lord .Plunket had read 1 . Sir Joseph Ward spoke in similar terms. He was satisfied the funds at the disposal of the association were economically managed, and the cost of administration was very moderate. He was sure the Parliament of New Zealand would see that the Association got what it required in the way of money. In this connection it .may be stated that the whole of the Association's visitors —numbering more than 100—are voluntary and practically the whole of the heavy office work is also honorary. As for the completeness of the hospital visiting, Mr Massey was delighted to; meet, as far away) as Belfast, a lady

who, on behalf of the Association, was looking after the few New Zealand wounded in Hospital there. RED CROSS GIFTS. Since August the New Zealand 'Wax Contingent Association has had: consigned to it firom New Zealand 584 cases of Red Cress goods, which came direct by passenger or cargo steamer, and 560 cases by Government transports. Of the former supply 529 cases have already been disposed of either by being sent to various New Zealand military, hospitals or unpacked and distributed as required ; and only 55 cases remain in store. The "War Contingent Association has acted as receiving and distributing agent for all these goods, which have been disprsed of after consultation with Miss Thurston, the matron-in-chief, N.Z.E.F The War Contingent Association is also acting as fairy godmother to the Lady Liverpool 'Fund' gifts, which 'have lately been arriving in' hundreds r? tons. These consignment are all checked and forwarded, on, and letters constantly arriving fro.m the units l at the front shew that they are reaching their destination, and are thoroughly appreciated.