BIG SUPPLIES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 109, 10 May 1941, Page 12

BIG SUPPLIES

COMFORTS FOR FORCES

STOCKS SENT OVERSEAS

Substantial quantities of comforts are required to provide for the con-1 tinually growing number of men in the New Zealand fighting forces' overseas. By the last transports that' left the Dominion great supplies of goods of all kinds were sent by the National Patriotic Fund Board. One item alone was 2.999,100 cigarettes I and 11.1241b, or over four tons of: assorted tobacco. The New Zea-' landers prefer the cigarettes and tobacco they have been accustomed \o smoking at home. j Some of the cigarettes and tobacco I were placed aboard for use on the] voyage By far the greater proportion, however—l,soo,ooo cigarettes and 75001b of tobacco-was for free Vi^^U 011 t0 the droops in the Middle East, in accordance with the new policy adopted by the board of sending cigarettes and tobacco separately in bulk instead of asking contributors of gift parcels to include them in theu- parcels. This policy was introduced following the discontinuance by manufacturers of packing in tins. There were also in the consignment cigarettes and tobacco for sale at cost in the New Zealand Forces Club, Cairo. In addition, over | 2000 packets of cigarette papers were I placed on board for use during the Another consignment of un-' addressed gift parcels was sent. I mere were approximately 31.250 of *"?,„ Parcels and an additional £EP Iy fo r a sh] P of th e New Zealand naval station. c. JTJ 1 - 6 °PP°rtunity was also taken of sending more woollen goods to augment stocks previously forwarded, 6504 pairs of mittens, 3834 scarves fcSwSgSdf 226 Plovers Hospital Stores stores scnt overseas 122*2?* t i ns of ovsters, glucose, & a , to a "f vegetable soups" baked beans, peaches, pears, apricots bottles of malted milk, vegetable and meat extracts, tins of tongues, biscuits cocoa and milk powder, cocoa mnk ato hnnf ° ffee \ nd ™ lk ' condensed S\& Packets of jellies, tins ot toheroa soup, butter, cheese sweets, dried milk and so on. The tinned fruit was in gallon tins the soups in 220z tins, the cocoa and milk in 91b tins, the tomatoes in ef°? £"?•' l , he l elUes in llb Packets sent in tin-lined cases. The amount of butter shipped for hospital use was three tons and of cheese one went ets wei S hin g 8001b also Special comforts were packed for the Maori Battalion and for the members of the New Zealand Nursing Service. Outstanding items among goods sent for the New Zealand Forces Club, Cairo, included a half ton of tinned bacon, 11 tons of potatoes, we i °7 er a ton of chocolate, one and a half tons of tomato sauce, 3000 cases of apples, 1056 tins of toheroa soup, 148 dozen packets of luncheon sausage, 180 boxes of cigarette papers, 324 dozen cans of whitebait, 16,7401b of honey, 188 dozen lib tins of butter and 160 561b boxes of butter, 420 sides of bacon weighing 16,7921b, 333 hams weighing 67891b, and 47 cases of milk. Soldiers and airmen from this country stationed in the United Kingdom and in other parts, as well as New Zealanders serving with the navy and the Fleet Air Arm, are also being well cared for bv the ■ National Patriotic Fund Board. Big Purchasing Task The purchasing of the vast volume of comforts now required has in itself become a major activity. The knitted comforts and parcels are provided through the provincial patriotic councils and are sent to the board's goods store in Wellington from all parts of the Dominion, but the other goods have to be bought, and that work is carried out by officers of the board in Wellington. They also attend to its delivery to the army transport shipping officer. It is a tribute to them that not once have they failed to deliver the comforts to time, properly packed and complete with the necessary shipping documents.