TOBACCO FOR TROOPS

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23538, 16 January 1942, Page 6

TOBACCO FOR TROOPS

INAUGURATION OF NEW PLAN MR FRASER MAKES FIRST PURCHASE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, January 15. The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) to-day inaugurated the postal tobacco service introduced by the National Patriotic Fund Board by buying 200 cigarettes for Leading Aircraftsman A. F. Moncur, M.P. for Rotorua, who is serving in the Far East. Mr Fraser was accompanied by the Minister for Defence (the Hon. F. Jones), and they were welcomed by the Hon. W. Parry, deputy-chairman of the board. Mr Fraser said that he was intimately interested in the new service because wherever he went, on his visit overseas, among the New Zealand forces their request was for tobacco from New Zealand. He thanked the board for introducing the new service which, he said, increased the country's debt to the board, Mr Jones expressed the hope that it would be possible to make some arrangements to enable these tobacco parcels to be sent to the Middle East also. There were difficulties, but knowing the work of the board, he felt it would be able to surmount them. Mr Jones bought a pound of cigarette tobacco and eight packets of cigarette papers. The third order was by the Minister for Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry) from Parliament Buildings for 200 cigarettes, and Flight Lieutenant Gladstone Hill, Director of Music for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, placed the fourth order as a gesture from the Air Force Band to one of the bandmasters overseas. DETAILS OF SCHEME SPECIALLY REDUCED PRICES (P.S.S.) WELLINGTON, January 14 The National Patriotic Fund Board is inaugurating a postal tobacco scheme as from to-morrow to enable next-of-kin and friends in New Zealand to send at specially reduced prices popular brands of cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, and pipe tobacco *o members of the New Zealand forces stationed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Fiji, and elsewhere overseas, except in the Middle East. It is regretted that at this juncture prisoners of war and the New Zealand forces in the Middle East cannot be included, but negotiations are proceeding and the board hopes it may be possible to announce shortly the extension of the scheme to embrace all members of the New Zealand forces overseas, irrespective of where they are serving, as well as the New Zealand prisoners of war. The procedure to be followed by people in the Dominion who wish to take advantage of the scheme is simple. All they have to do is to fill in a form on which they will give their name and address and the number, name, and address of the recipient, indicate by means of a cross in a square alongside the brands of tobacco and cigarettes which may be sent the brand which they desire to have dispatched, and pay for the cost of the goods. The New Zealand 1 Retail Tobacconists’ and Hairdressers’ Federation and the Master Grocers’ Association are co-operating with the National Patriotic Fund Board in the operation of the service, and the special order form may be obtained at authorised tobacconists and other stores. Brands and Prices

It has not been found possible at this stage to include in the scheme all brands of tobacco and cigarettes obtainable on the New Zealand market, but 21 brands are offered (six of cigarettes. eight of cigarette tobacco, and seven of pipe tobacco), and these have been selected after discussion with representatives of the tobacconists’ organisation. No order will be accepted for less than 200 cigarettes or lib of tobacco, and purchasers will not be able to make up this amount by selecting part of one brand and part of another. When more than one brand is required, a separate order for each brand must be placed. The Government has made arrangements for the National Patriotic Fund Board to be supplied with stocks out of bond, and this enables the board to offer the cigarettes and tobacco at greatly reduced prices. For example, including Is for postage and 9d for the cost of a tin for packing, lib of any of six brands of cigarette tobacco, together with eight packets of cigarette papers, may be sent under the scheme for 11s. For a similar quantity of any of the same brands of cigarettes and papers bought in the ordinary way. plus Is for postage and 9d for the packing tin the cost would be approximately 20s. Thus there is a saving of 9s. Similarly, the cost of sending cigarettes and pipe tobacco is also substantially less under the new postal service, the savings being approximately 5s on 200 cigarettes and 9s on 11b of pipe tobacco. Customs Concessions

The parcels of cigarettes and tobacco are to be admitted duty free to the countries to which they may be sent under the scheme, and it is important that the privilege that has been extended in this respect should not be abused. To ensure that this will be observed, the date of dispatch of every parcel will be recorded, and if it is found that one man is receiving more than he could reasonably smoke each month the next-of-kin or sender will be advised accordingly. A special room for the packing, recording. and dispatch of the parcels has been established by the National Patriotic Fund Board in its premises in Wellington. The packing will be done by members of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary.