THE NEED OF FRANCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1579, 20 July 1916, Page 4

THE NEED OF FRANCE.

We in Noav Zealand can hardly realise Avhat the patriotism of the French soldier is costing himself, his Avife, and his family. . The Frenchman avlio ans Avers his country’s call can make no comfortable provision out of his pay for his Avife and family, and if they are poor they must to a large extent rely upon Avhat generous people Avill do for them. It Avould take a poAvcrful imagination and a still more poAverful pen to depict the groat needs of France in (his titanic struggle, stall's n Avriter in an Australian newspaper. Her hopsilal requirements alone must demand at least leu limes as much as (he whole of the Avork that, the people of Ncav Zealand and Australia arc doing for the Avoundcd. Already it is a fact that the whole country is exhausted of clean old linen, so that the thousands of hospitals arc dependent for their bandages and swabs and goods such as avc are making in all our Red (To*s centres, upon Avliat people from outside can send to them. Every hospital is short of sheets and pillowslips and loavcls, not to speak of the pillows 1 hemselves. Factories cannot keep pace with (he ever-increasing demands for supplies of all sorts, and, if they could, money is Avanled to pay for the supplies.

W hen one thinks of Verdun alone, the defence of which has been sustained since the middle of February, a struggle in which the loss of life hits been unequalled in the history of warfare, it is not difficult to believe thiil, France is one big hospital and orphanage combined. “From Elreiat, in the north, to Cannes, in I lie south, every department lias its home, maintained partly by the Government, partly by subscript ion, for the orphan children of soldiers who have been killed in the war. Already in Algeria they have a farm on which to train the little sons of dead soldiers. And they are caring for the young wives and widows, too, so thiil, (he young fathers ill (he front may know that the babies horn in their absence shall lack no care or nourishment.

11 is because in Australia they have. recognised (lie grout, need of Krunee in I,his work of curing for lu;r wounded soldiers flu; great si ruin upon her resources, that (.lie Australian hnincli of (,1k; British I ted Cross is sending a little hund of army nurses to Kronen to lill this terrible gup, and I,hut venous efforts have been made from time to time to raise juony for the .Kroneh Red Cross. Kranee is worthy of more than the admiration of the world —that she Ims earned over a,ml over again—she deserves that every precious life should he saved where possible.