PATRIOTIC EFFORTS

Southland Times, Issue 24823, 15 August 1942, Page 5

PATRIOTIC EFFORTS

Sir,—lt appears to me that some of the correspondence which has been appearing in your columns recently has been based on incomplete ideas of the work of the Southland centre of the Red Cross Society and incorrect information about the need for and use of its funds. I give the following outline of the society’s activities in order to remove doubts and misconceptions. The Southland centre of the New Zealand Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross which has its headquarters at Geneva and which organization has a history of 80 years valuable service to humanity. It _ is largely devoted to work for the sick, wounded and prisoners of war under the Joint Council of St. John and New Zealand Red Cross. The local activities of the Southland Red Cross come under three main headings: 1. Transport of sick and wounded. 2. V.A. training. 3. Depot. All hospital trains are met by Red Cross transport. Every day numbers of 'men are taken to the hospital for treatment and back to their homes. Men who owing to injuries are unable to travel by bus are taken to their homes in the country, and thus many miles are covered and the petrol is supplied and paid for out of the local Red Cross funds. The cars are supplied free of cost by the drivers, who, of course, give their services voluntarily. Rooms for the Voluntary Aids have been equipped and maintained out of local Red Cross funds. Here women and girls are being trained in first aid, home nursing, hygiene and sanitation, ending up with 60 hours’ hospital training. The depot in Esk street is equipped and maintained out of local Red Cross funds. Here the Red Cross work for the Joint Council is organized and distributed. For the prisoners of war department and the hospital visiting committee money is found from the Sick and Wounded Fund, the local Red Cross not being financially concerned with these. The local Red Cross has, however, done work at the depot for the next of kin, also £2OO worth of woollen garments has gone forward to prisoners of war. The local Red Cross has supplied medical and surgical equipment and small quantities of food and rugs to the E.P.S. dressing stations around the town. At the request of the W.W.S.A. the local Red Cross has supplied the 16 emergency stations in the town with Plunket boxes containing everything necessary for the babies. Throughout Southland the local Red Cross has organized hospital equipment for 250 hospital beds to be used in the event of emergency. At the request of the National Reserve bedding, stretchers and medical stores have been supplied for the use of the sick men. Thousands of field dressings, 50 stretchers and eight first aid kits have been supplied to the Invercargill battalion of the Home Guard. Three caravans have been lent and equipped and the organizing of a Red Cross ambulance service is under way. These widespread activities speak for themselves. They have involved the collection and expenditure of large sums of money and many hours of hard work. Every worker in the Southland Red Cross is a voluntary worker. Finally it should be emphasized that never at any time has the Patriotic Council or the Sick and Wounded Fund contributed one penny towards the cost of the work of the Southland Red Cross Society. J. D. CAMPBELL, President, Southland Red Cross. Invercargill, August 14, 1942.

Sir,—First let me thank “Cognoscens” for his straightforward and lucid explanation. Invective does not help to clarify the issue, and so I desire to reply directly to Mr Hall-Jones who seems, however, to be obsessed with one idea—that because the Government decreed that one national fund should be established, following the initial Red Cross effort, he should follow a policy of non-co-operation in our effort to raise money for all purposes. He tries to make capital out of the £3OO earmarked by donors. That sum merely represents the wishes of a few who specified this fund in particular. Surely he is aware, as most of your readers are, that we would not have asked for a penny of the £ll,OOO extra but for the capture of many of our men in Libya, which resulted in an unexpected call by the Red Cross for further assistance. Only some of the regular contributors to the Red Cross branches during the last two years were aware that they were giving for peace-time activities—to equip local chests and to carry out work (we have steadily supported it, and fully endorse its value as such) which was not directed mainly for the men in hospital and in prison camp overseas. Our patriotic workers have given generously for this home front, though some few Red Cross workers refuse to give to patriotic funds, even to buy a badge. We are glad to have our work so effectively endorsed by Sir Bernard Freyberg and by Lieutenant-Colonel Tennent. The general refers to the “great work of the Red Cross in distributing Patriotic Fund comforts to men in the forward areas and to the wounded in hospitals.” Now, in our current effort, we are receiving’ encouragement of a substantial nature from those who are determined to help our boys at home and overseas. This week no sooner had our Winton appeal for Prisoners of War been launched, than our first £lO donation came in, followed quickly by many other contributions. I appeal to readers

to attend the gathering at the Civic Theatre on August 27 when Mr Hayden, and, I hope, a Red Cross official, will explain how best we can help, and to what extent our money is tainted. It is quite misleading to say that we are using for the benefit of fit men, money ostensibly raised for Red Cross purposes. We are asking New Zealand for a million pounds by September 30, and of this sum there is really no limit to the amount we are prepared to hand over to the Red Cross as an expending agent of the National Patriotic Fund Board.

Owing to my absence from Southland on Home Guard duties, I shall be unable to continue this correspondence, but I would ask all Southlanders (most Red Cross workers are active patriotic workers and supporters) to raise our total of £61,000 and more, so that Mr Hall-Jones will not lack abundant financial resources for his work for Sick and Wounded and Prisoners of War. By September 30 the National Patriotic Fund will probably have paid out to him and his colleagues at least £300,000 W. J. BENNETT. Winton, August 14, 1942. Sir,—As many of the sub-centres of the New Zealand Red Cross Society are now raising money for the sick and wounded and prisoners of war, will Mr Hall-Jones kindly state through your columns to whom these moneys should be forwarded—the secretary of the Provincial Patriotic Council or the Secretary of the Provincial Red Cross Society? PUZZLED.