Mrs Luke's Visit

Levin Daily Chronicle, 31 July 1917, Page 2

Mrs Luke's Visit

THE , GIFT PARCEL EFFORT. A MiUCIH-APPRBOTATED UNDERTAKING. Those patriotic workers who braved the wet and wintry conditions that prevailed on Friday night last, and ■assembled at the Levin (Municipal Chambers to hear Mrs. Luke, the (Mayoress of Wellington, were rewarded with a venyi interesting evening. Mrs. Luke spoke very fully and minutely of , the great amount of splendid work that has beeif done and is being •accomSplished' I>y "these workers, particularly amongst the ladies of "Wellington, who devote so much of their time to the welfare of our soldiers both at home and abroad.

The main object of Mrs Luke's present visit was the necessity of bringing before the publio of Levin and district the meed of funds witH wEicli to carry on the good work of providing the ever-welcome gift parcels - for the men at the front. Just now the big undertaking of preparing tlie Christmas parcels is in hand, and as befitting the occasion, these particular parcels are something bigger than the regular monthly ones that are despatched. The Wellington military district's share of the total comprises no less than six thousand parcels pet month, and every one of these parcels this month will contain—in addition to milk, cheese, cake and' smokes—a real plum' pudding. Mrs. Luke, brought with her photographs of some of the bands of willing wjrVori carrying out the different openfions which ultimately result in the finished cooked pudding. At one bench wer<? seen the ladies who crumblrl nn the piles of loaves .of Dread; at another waR seen the blanching of almondsat another the fruit was being cleaned;, and so on. After the pudding are cooked, whjich is d'one, at the Wellington Meat Export Company'? works at Xghauranga, they are crumbled. up, packed - into the tins, and soldered down, and a label with appropriate Christmas wishes i s gnm . med round the tin. The parcels are made up m coloured handkerchiefw ich m themselves are .a useful gjtft, and they are packed by the unitod efforts of the Countess of Liv, erpool t . Committee and the Mayoress itjzens' Committee every month. Forty parcels per case is the average number, and that means' no less t'"150 cases per month to be made ant nailed down. These cases are forwarded free of charge each month oi» the transports that leave Xew Zealand. Even the men', in far-off Mesopotamia are not overlooked, but ag there is no regular transport for them their parcels have to be posted. The distribution of the gift parcfefe after they reach London is undertaken by the 'New Zealand War Contingent Association, a splendid organisation that is doing good work in looking after our, men at Home. That the bulk oi the parcels "do" reach the men fwhom they are intended is proved by the large numbers of letters received »>.v the mayoress. Only a few weeks back, in the course of an afternoon

spent with the committee in Wellington, Major Samuel, who lias just returned, and who is well-'known in Levin, described how eagerly the men await these gift parcels, and he ask.the ladies 'not to let this spleud.... work drop on any account. However, to got back to the main object of last Friday's meeting: it was definitely promised that not less than £25 should bo sent from 'Levin, as soon as possible, for this particular Christmas effort; but it must be bo'rne in mind that money is required to keep up the regular monthly effort as well. The Levin Society has been sending for some time £5 per month for this purpose, but the funds that were available for this work are about exhausted, and it is now hoped not only to raise the £25, but sufficient as well to keep the regular monthly donation going for as long as necessary. Last year's appeal met with a genedou« response from Levin's citizens, and it is hoped that this year it will be even greater. Donations, no matter how small maro be sent to the hn. treasurer (Mr. (P. W. Goldsmith) or left with the hon. secretary (Mr. C. S. Keedwell), and they will be acknowledged through the coulmns of The Chronicle.