SOLDIERS’ PARCELS

Southland Times, Issue 24834, 28 August 1942, Page 4

SOLDIERS’ PARCELS

Origin of Mistaken Conclusions An explanation of how some soldiers overseas form the conclusion that the parcels they receive come from district committees and not from the Southland Provincial Patriotic Council was given by Mrs J. Hargest at a meeting of the council yesterday. Mr J. Hickey (Woodlands )said his son had told him he had received two or three district parcels, but none from the council. Mrs Hargest said that probably this was a mistake. At the beginning parcels were sent out without any cards enclosed to show whence they had come. Later, however, it was felt that there should be some acknowledgment of the splendid work done by district committees, and it was then decided to enclose cards bearing the names of district committees and in some cases the names of regular donors to the parcels fund. Therefore a soldier receiving such a parcel might readily conclude that it had been sent by a district committee or by an individual. Mrs Stanley Brown said she believed prisoners of war thought that parcels came from the Red Cross because there was a large Red Cross on the parcels and nothing to indicate that the money for the parcels was provided by the Patriotic Fund..