FIRST ECHELON

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21188, 10 August 1940, Page 6

FIRST ECHELON

COMPLAINT ABOUT NEWS FREE GIFTS GO ASTRAY OFFICIAL GIVES EXPLANATION ißy Telegraph—special to T 1 met) AUCKLAND, Friday “It is going on for three months since I saw a New Zealand newspaper,” writes a member of the First Echelon, from Egypt, by the latest air mail. “Everyone is wondering what has gone wrong. We like to know what is going on in our own country. “I know there are any amount of newspapers somewhere, for me, but goodness knows where. For a while I had a suspicion that all was not well in New Zealand, and that they were hanging on to our newspapers for that reason, but there has been no mention of anything like that in our air-mail letters, so I assume that is not the reason. “We would like to know the reason for the delay. It is hardly fair to us. It cannot be that the sea routes are not open, because New Zealand produce is still being sent to England. Again, it is scarcely fair to people in New Zealand who send us parcels and papers. Having paid to send the papers and parcels, you folk at home are entitled to have them sent. If the postal authorities cannot get the mail away from New Zealand I think they should tell you so—not accept mail that they cannot deliver.

Gifts Not Received “Another very sore point with the chaps here concerns the gifts. Before we left New Zealand, and for a while after we arrived here, we used to read in the newspapers that the distribution of gifts among the New Zealand soldiers (us) had proceeded smoothly. “Now this is a fallacy. I am prepared to wager that, outside a few cigarettes, not one per cent of the First Echelon have ever received any so-called ‘free gifts.’ Where the freegifts have gone is a mystery to us. Before we sailed from New Zealand we saw photographs of people packing cases. There were people up all night, working feverishly, packing ‘comforts,’ as they called them, for the transports. We never saw them. “The so-called free gifts are now a standing joke among us,” concludes the New Zealand soldier. Official News Service The entry of Italy into the war has necessarily dislocated the lines of communication with Egypt. While it is regrettable that newspapers have not been delivered as regularly as | desired, the Director of Publicity, !Mr J. T. Paul, states that he has received from the Officer in Charge of Publicity in Egypt a letter dated July 19, which makes special reference to the news services which are now being transmitted from Wellington to Egypt. These consist of a daily radio news service to Egypt and regular dispatches of newspaper clippings each week. On arrival in Egypt the clippings are collated and issued throughout the camp as air mail news. These services are regarded as wholly satisfactory and are being extended in directions indicated. In connection with the general news service the following is an extract from a letter written by a soldier with the First Echelon to his father, resident in Wellington: “We are kept well up with the news. A radio at the Y.M.C.A. and an Army issue of the main New Zealand news every day. Looking at today’s news it doesn’t appear as though the car will be out very much! Six gallons won’t last very long over a month anyway. Oh I nearly missed this. On the top of the news sheet is ‘Wellington, Ist July, 1940,’ and does it look good! I’ll say!" Ships Diverted Regarding the second portion of the letter, comforts in large supplies and in many forms were provided for the benefit of the first echelon on board ship on the voyage from New Zealand, and a total of £13,000 has been remitted to Egypt by the National Patriotic Board for sick or wounded. A large consignment of gift parcels and 5000 cases of apples and supplies of cigarettes were consigned to the first echelon by the ships of the second echelon, but it so happened that these ships were diverted to Britain. Since then 866 cases of comforts have been consigned to Egypt. Apart from these comforts, authority has been given to operate on the fund of £13,000 held in Egypt. Shipping difficulties have militated against sending regular supplies.