AN APPEAL FROM INDIA.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 250, 19 October 1920, Page 7

AN APPEAL FROM INDIA.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—May I venture to appeal for cast off clothing for India? The enclosed extracts from private letters from a tried and trusted missionary show the terrible need of fellow members of our Empire, whose loyalty during the Great War went far to help us to win the victory. A liberal response was lately given to Sister Esther's appeal, but even so, many may be able to find something to help suffering so acute as described. Parcels nhould be sent to Miss Florence Smith, C.E.Z.M.S., Khammamett, Nizam's Dominions, South India, per British mail.—l am, etc., SISTER MARIAN", Deaconess. EXTRACTS. "Things are very sad here. Famine is still very severe. Food grains are double the price they were during the great famines of 1876 and 1800, and the coarsest cotton clothing, which then never rose above sid and Cd, is now 10d and 1/. The poor working class are literally without clothing." August 14.—"The distress over the whole Kha"mmamett district is appallinghundreds and hundreds without clothing of any kind, but some old scrap of sacking or matting, and so underfed that they are covered with awful boils and sores. So far the rains have failed this year; we have only had light showers, when for the last six weeks there should have been heavy downpours every day. The early crops are ruined; the wells and tanks are dry, and until they are full no rice can even be planted .... I have had several parcels of old clothes from New Zealand, and should be so • grateful if any of your friends thought of sending any old knitted coats, old costume coats and skirts, if only shabby and not ragged, boys' old football jerseys, and old baby and children's clothes of any discription, old blouses even if of pique or strong cotton, are most useful. There will be a most awful time of distress for these poor unclothed folk in November and December, our cold season, and for long afterwards."' ,