RED CROSS SOCIETY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 July 1941, Page 6

RED CROSS SOCIETY

MASTERTON SUB=CENTRE MEETING VARIOUS GROUPS ACTIVE. ARRANGEMENTS FOR SHOP DAY. The monthly meeting of the Masterton sub-Centre of the Red Cross Society was held last evening. Mrs G. G. Tolhurst presided. A recommendation from the finance committee that an application from the Knitting Group for the sum of £5 to spend on wool was adopted. Miss Elliott tendered her resignation from the committee, as owing to pressure of work it was impossible for her to attend meetings. This resignation was accepted with regret.

Reports of the groups showed that the Sewing Group was carrying on its usual work and a quantity of garments were ready for sending away. Fifty nightdresses being made for the Emergency Hospital organisation would be completed this week. Sewing meetings had been well attended, the attendance at the last meeting being the largest for this year. Many parcels of clothing, for the most part consisting of new garments, had been received and the society was grateful for these. The Knitting Group, which now met in the Red Cross Room, had handed in 50 garments in June. In spite of the difficulty of obtaining supplies of wool the group was steadily carrying on its work and completing many warm garments to be sent to England. The Hospital group was still working hard with the large list of goods needed for the Emergency Hospital organisation and this work would take some time yet to complete. As all the work consisted mainly of machining, the group was in need of extra machines. Offers of the use of two machines were at once made by members at the meeting and these offers were gratefully accepted. In appreciation 'of the* wonderful work being done by the Mercantile Marine, it was decided that the sum of £lO be donated to the Seamen’s Mission in Wellington to be used for comforts for sick seamen.

The meeting approved a circular setting cut all the information available through the Red Cross concerning enquiries regarding prisoners of war and missing relatives. The meeting expressed satisfaction of the way in which the circular had been compiled and of the work Mrs Tolhurst was doing in visiting all who had had sons either killed or missing and in giving all possible information about the work done through the Red Cross in this connection.

It was agreed that Mrs Garland. Rod Cross representative on the Mayoress's Patriotic Committee, should approach this committee to ascertain if it would be willing to assist in the making up of parcels for next-of-kin to send to prisoners of war in cases where next-of-kin might find it difficult or impossible to send parcels at regular intervals owing to financial circumstances. The sum of £25 was donated to the Nursing Division of St. John Ambulance. with the recommendation that it be used for the equipment and training of Voluntary Aids. It was decided that the annual effort to raise funds for normal activities should take the form of a shop day to be held on the date already set aside, the first Friday in August. It was agreed in connection with this effort that there should be no raffles, copper trails or canvassing in the streets. A speciality would be made of a secondhand clothes stall and also an effort would be made to collect school uniforms that children had outgrown. A. small committee was set up to make arrangements in connection with the shop day and the secretary was instructed to apply to the Town Clerk for the necessary permission and also to make enquiries regarding a suitable place in which to hold the shop. The following were elected to this committee: Mesdames Towns, Garland, Lyttle, Dallas, Daniell and the president and secretary.