GIFTS BY POST

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 85, 11 April 1945, Page 7

GIFTS BY POST

PATRIOTIC SERVICES TOBACCO AND CHOCOLATE Records kept by the National Patriotic Fund Board show that since January, 1942, when the scheme was inaugurated, 151,181 orders have been received for the dispatch of cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, or pipe tobacco to members of the New Zealand forces overseas under the board's postal service. In the fifteen months since the board started a similar service for forwarding chocolates to service personnel orders have reached the total of 124,864. Both services were introduced for the benefit of the members of the forces as well as to assist their relatives and.friends, for under them not only do the prices charged represent substantial savings on the retail prices but senders are also spared the jobs of packing and posting and of finding supplies in these days of rationed stocks. The chocolate orders, which are handled for the board by money order post office branches, average 8324 per month. Each order is for a 21b block of chocolate packed and posted, which may be sent to any members of the Allied services. Although most of the chocolate is being sent to members of the New Zealand forces in the Middle East, some to servicemen in Burma, and some to New Zealanders in India, during the past few months an increased number of orders has been received for addressees.in the United Kingdom. Because tobacco is subject to customs duty and that under the patriotic postal service is sent duty free, orders placed under this scheme are restricted to members of the . New Zealand forces. In this case also most of the orders, which come from all parts of the Dominion, are for New Zealanders in the Middle East forces. An increase has been noticeable in the number of orders for India and the United Kingdom. Two hundred cigarettes, lib of pipe tobacco, or lib of cigarette tobacco with cigarette papers may be sent at a time. Certain tobacconist and other retail stores act as the board s agents for the receipt of orders. There has been an increase lately in orders for pipe tobacco for men in the Pacific and India.