TROOPS OVERSEAS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 191, 10 May 1941, Page 15

TROOPS OVERSEAS

Comforts Sent From New Zealand LATEST SHIPMENTS Substantial quantities of comforts are now required to provide for the con-tinually-growing number of men in the New Zealand lighting 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 and 11,1241 b., or more than four tons, of assorted to;bacco. The New Zealanders prefer the cigarettes and tobacco they have been accustomed to smoking at home. Some of the cigarettes and tobacco was placed aboard for use on the voyage by the men proceeding in the ships to join their comrades. By far the greater proportion, however—-1,500,000 cigarettes and 75001 b. of tobacco—was for free distribution to the troops iu 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 their parcels. This policy was introduced after the discontinuance by manufacturers of packing in tins. There were also in the consignment cigarettes and tobacco for sale at cost iu the New Zealand Forces Club, Cairo. In addition, more than 2000 packets of cigarette papers were placed on board for use during the voyage. Another consignment of unaddressed gift parcels was sent. There were approximately 31,250 of these parcels, and an additional supply for a ship of the New Zealand Naval Station. The opportunity was also taken of sending more Avoollen goods to augment stocks previously forwarded, 6504 pairs of mittens, 3834 scarves, 158 balaclavas, and 226 pullovers being shipped. Hospital Stores.

Hospital stores were another big item, the nature and quantity of the comforts sent under this heading providing a further illustration of the necessity of adequate funds being available to enable everything possible to be done for the welfare of New Zealand’s forces, the sick and wounded as well as the lit. These stores covered a wide range. They included tins oi oysters, glucose, tomato and vegetable soups, baked beans, peaches, pears, apricots, bottles of malted milk, vegetable and meat extracts, tins of tongues, biscuits, cocoa and milk powder, cocoa, tomatoes, coffee and milk, condensed milk, honey, packets of jellies, tins of toheroa soup, butter, cheese, sweets, dried milk, and so on. The quantities of these supplies were large, and the tinned goods were in tins much larger than the average household size. The tinned fruit, for example, was in gallon tins, the soups in 220 z. tins, the cocoa and milk in 91b. tins, the tomatoes in 28oz. tins, the jellies in lib. packets sent in tin-lined eases. The amount of butter shipped for hospital use was three tons, and of cheese one ton. Sweets weighing 8001 b. also went. Special comforts were packed for the Maori Battalion and for the members of the Now Zealand Nursing Service. Outstanding items among goods sent for the New Zealand Forces Club, Cairo, apart from the cigarettes and tobacco already mentioned, included a half-ton of tinned bacon, 11 tons of potatoes, well over a ton of chocolate, one and a half tons of tomato sauce, 3000 cases of apples, 1056 tins of toberoa soup, 148 dozen packets of luncheon sausage, 180 boxes of cigarette papers, 324 dozen cans of whitebait, 16,7401 b. of honey, 188 dozen lib. tins of butter and 160 501 b. boxes of butter, 420 sides of bacon weighing 16,7921 b., 333 hams weighing 67891 b., a f nd 47 cases of milk. For Use on Voyage.

Besides these great quantities of goods, comforts, in addition to cigarettes and tobacco, Avere put aboard the transports for use by the troops during the voyage. There were large supplies of writing materials, also sets of deck games, equipment for various indoor games, such as draughts, darts and table tennis, soda water, cordials, lemons, biscuits, books and magazines, and each ship Avas supplied with a number of full-length motion picture films, featuring well-known stars, as well as a number of shorts. Soldiers and airmen from this country stationed in the United Kingdom and in other parts, as well as NeAV Zealanders serving with the Navy and the Fleet Air Arm, are also being well cared for by the National Patriotic Fund Board. Substantial dispatches of parcels and other comforts are being made to them. The purchasing of the vast volume of comforts now required has iu itself become a major activity of the board’s operations. The knitted comforts and parcels are provided through 'he 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.