MONEY FOR PRISONER OF WAR PARCELS

Southland Times, Issue 24884, 26 October 1942, Page 2

MONEY FOR PRISONER OF WAR PARCELS

Sir,—l notice in The Southland Times a report stating that Mr P. L. Hodge asserted at a meeting of the Southland Patriotic Council that money for prisoner of war parcels comes from the Patriotic Fund, and not from Red Cross funds. Well, sir, to my certain knowledge money has been donated by Red Cross committees and sent to the Invercargill Joint Council of the Red Cross and the Order of St. John for the Prisoners of War and Sick and Wounded Fund. This is Red Cross money. Can Mr Hodge please inform me where it goes and what becomes of it? “PUZZLED.”

[When this letter was referred to Mr Hodge he said that for the year ended September 30 the Joint Council of the Red Cross and the Order of St. John budgeted for £164,000 for sick and wounded and £271,000 for prisoners of war. To help to find these large sums, which came from the Patriotic Fund, any money sent to the Joint Council in Invercargill and earmarked for sick and wounded or prisoners of war was forwarded to the Joint Council in Wellington, which in turn paid the money into the Patriotic Fund. Alternatively, the Joint Council in Invercargill could pay the money to Mr W. F._Sturman, honorary treasurer of the Southland Provincial Patriotic Council, who wou d forward it to the Patriotic Fund, Wellington/]