BUSINESS MEN WANTED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 142, 16 May 1940, Page 4

BUSINESS MEN WANTED

URGENT GALL FOR HELP, SICK AND WOUNDED FUND. Business men are urgently needed to help with the Sick, Wounded and Distress Fund Appeal now in operation throughout New Zealand. The Joint Council of the New Zealand Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John, which is sponsoring the appeal, makes a strong plea for men’s help everywhei'o. It is a mistake to assume that Red Cross work is entirely women’s work, they say, because there are hundreds of ways in which men can give their services in the cause of the sick and wounded, such as treasurerships, publicity, committee work, planning street campaigns and general organising duties. Even the busiest of business men can help in little ways and even the smallest service will be appreciated. “One man’s help may mean thousands of pounds to the campaign fund,’’ one official said when speaking at Wellington on this point; “the women cannot do everything alone. If the women are prepared to go out in all weathers and take their part in street-day collections and in house-to-house canvassing, surely it is not too much to expect tho "men to come forward and do their part by performing the jobs for which they are suited, and thus relieving the women of some of the responsibility.” GREATEST APPEAL TO DATE. It is probable that never before in New Zealand—even in the days of the last war —has there been such a fully uational single patriotic effort as the £250,000 appeal -for the Sick, Wounded and Distressed. In every city, town and hamlet in the country strong committees have been energetically working for some considerable time in the preliminary organisation, and when tho birthday anniversary of Florence Nightingale heralded the start of the campaign on Sunday last, a network of money-raising schemes was put into operation. The National Patriotic Fund Board has decided .that in the meantime there shall be two national appeals only for patriotic purposes. The first of these, the Fighting Services Weifare Appeal, was held recently, and the second is the Sick, Wounded and Distressed Fund Appeal, which is commonly referred to as the Red Cross appeal. Future ■ appeals will for the time being bo cpnfined to provincial This effort is sponsored by the Joint Council of tho New Zealand lied Cross Society and the Order of St. John, and it has the backing of a distinguished personnel, with the Gov-ernor-General and Lady Galway at the head. In stressing the fact that the administration of the Sick, Wounded and Distressed Fund is to be non-political and non-Govcrnmental in every way, tho promoters point out that the two organisations have pooled their resources for the purpose of the campaign, and in future will work as a joint council for the energetic prosecution of this worthy object. . . , , , Although this. Dominion lias not yet been seriously affected by the war, political leaders and public men, including the Prime Minister, have brought home to the people the fact that the full co-operation of everyone in the community, without consideration of age, class or station in life, will be needed if the war is to be carried on successfully. The present campaign to raise | £250,000 for the sick, wounded and distressed covers a tremendous tie d, and reflects ill a striking manner, the completeness of the organisation behind it. In addition to personal efforts through committees the campaign includes individual \ house-to house canvasses, street .days and group collections, platform addresses, radio talks, the organisation of industrial "firms for regular contributions and a multiplicity of other -ways ol drawing attention to tin; appeal. Some of the means of raising money are ingenious, and are certainly effective. Success has been obtained in one town by farmers contributing produce for auction. In another place a motor-ear is being raffled, in yet another a farmers’ stock drive is being held, and all these are linked up with a great circle of orthodox fund-raising devices such as parties, dances, _ Sunday night concerts, competitions, sports galas and general organised public effort. So comprehensive is the organisation that no section of the community has been overlooked. Donations should be sent either through local committees or direct to the St. John-Red Cross Headquarters, Vivian Street. Wellington. Cheques should be made payable to “Sick and Wounded ' Fund,” and crossed. Donors are assured that all sums sent direct to headquarters will lie credited to the local appeal committee as a donation from that province.

SALE OF THE It ED CROSS. GIFTS OF JEWELS. AND ART TREASURES. Giftii of pictures, rare books, manuscripts, jewels, and art treasures < of, all kinds arc arriving daily at .149 Park Lane, London, which has been lent free of-rent to the committee of the. Red Cross sale'that - will be held in the ' week beginning Monday,. Jhire 10, at Christie’s',, says . the .. London Times. . . . In addition to gifts from' the King and Queen many other valuable articles have been given or promised'. Among those already received are-the, follow--ing:—From the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, a pair of George 111 Irish silver cups bv Charles Mullin, circa 1770;' the Duke of Kent, a valuable dessert service;; the. Duke of Connaught- and Lady Patricia Ramsay, Japanese porcelain bowls; Lord- Mersey, a fine copy of Aesop, illustrated Ry; David Hoogstraten, arid a -Baudin Horace; Miss V. SackviUe-IVost, the manuscript of her novel,’“The Edward'-: ians”; Lady Cambridge, a fine diamond clip ; Sir «Edwin v Lutyens, liis original drawings for the. Cenotaph;. Lord Tredegar, . a document signed “Marye the Qu'erie” with the Royal sign manual, dated 1556; Mr C.>H.,St. John Hornby; a fifteenth-century. Italian illuminated manuscript of “Tacitus Cornelius.” . The Red Cross auctions held at Christie’s each year in the last war from 1915 to 1919 raised a total of about £400,000, taken in 59 days of actual selling. Christie’s, as before, are giving their services free —storing, cataloguing, selling, ’ and everything else.

The Lord Mayor's lied Cross and St. John Fund for the Sick and Wounded in the War now stands at £1,260,000. Lord Fairliaven has sent £llOO for two ambulances. The Lord. Mayor of Portsmouth, who has been raising money for a similar purpose, has written to say that he has already collected enough to warrant ail ambulance being ordered forthwith.