FOOD SENT TO BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25935, 15 October 1949, Page 6

FOOD SENT TO BRITAIN

ORGANISATIONS IN CANTERBURY FIGURES QUOTED BY MR SMITH “May I assure the secretary-organ-iser of the Timaru District Aid for Britain Committee (Mr R. S. Wheeler) that the old people in Manchester will not have to wait long for Dominion food parcels, because the committee is busy at present packing a large consignment of gift food for Salford, Manchester, from the Christchurch Rotary Club,’’ said the secretary of the Christchurch Aid for Britain Committee (Mr Tom W. Smith) in a statement yester-

He was replying to a letter received by Mr Wheeler, which said that “disappointed” pensioners living in Manchester, who gave their names in March, might have to wait many months longer before they received a Dominion food parcel. The letter said that consignments had dropped from an average of 500 parcels a month to practically nil. “The comments in the letter about the food parcels dropping off in Timaru and there being none since July does not apply to Christchurch, because since July I believe we have been busier than ever.” said Mr Smith.

“Since July the committee had packed 640 cases containing 29.142 separate items of food and weighing 32,0921 b. The value was £2520 4s 6d. More organisations seem to be taking advantage of the scheme whereby food can be sent from organisations in New Zealand to organisations in Britain free of all charge.

School Shipments “More schools are codling into the scheme also because they can send to a school in Britain food free of charge. This week we have received shipments from the Christchurch Girls’ High School to the Wallasy Girls’ High School, Cheshire; the Riccarton School to the Riccarton School. Kilmarnock; the Rotherham School to the Rotherham School, Yorkshire; and the Saltwater Creek School to the Fairmur School, Dundee.

“Since this depot opened in Christchurch we have packed 5753 cases of gift food and shipped overseas 5531 cases containing 281,015 articles of food weighing 260,1571 b net and valued at £20,216 15s sd.

“I think a lot of the credit for the way the food comes into the depot should go to the Christchurch newspapers for their assistance in this campaign to get more food to Britain,” concluded Mr Smith.