A CALL FOR HELP

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 142, 18 June 1931, Page 12

A CALL FOR HELP

WHAT IS BEING DONE

SATURDAY'S DRIVE

■With a government with a depleted Treasury, and a City Council which is obliged to add, to tho unemployment because it cannot keep all its employees, it appears as though the bulk of the relief afforded to the necessitous will have to be provided by citizens themselves. Much will depend upon the announcement made by the Prime Minister in. regard to the continuance of the No. 5 scheme. It is quite evident that Mr. Forbes'intends to strain a point to carry on tho scheme until Parliament meets, and thus avoid further burdening thoso who are assisting tho needy, but the details and extent of the temporary measure will bo anxiously awaited. Those in charge of the many organisations which relieve distress are constantly meeting with fresh examples of unselfish generosity oil the part of donors whose1 own position is naturally not of tho rosiest, but the number of those able to contribute i 3 gradually being narrowed down. Food will always remain plentiful, but funds are hard to come by.

All preparations for Saturday's big • drive by.the Red Cross are complete, it is hoped that the weather wilLbc fine, but if not, everybody donating clothing, which should in any case be well parcelled up, should have their' parcels on verandahs, or even out at the gates, so as t(f save time.' Tha drive will be carried out if the weather makes it at all possible. Plenty of cars are available, and lorries will serve the centres that tho cars will feed. Boy Scouts and Toe H helpers have . had their instructions. There will be a personnel of at least GOO to handle the parcels, which, with the 250 car drivers and 57 helpers from tho City Milk Department will make 900 voluntary helpers. It is intended to carry out the drive in daylight, if possible, and as the winter afternoons are short, 1 all time available must be saved in the collection. From 1 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. is not long to cover all the ground.It is pointed out that all the material • collected will bo disposed of to meet the needs of the city. Tho Bed Cross is merely privileged to put the drive through and handle it. , A SOLDIER'S SHARE. An ex-Soldier, who has been on his back since the war, has sent in 16 pairs of children's shoes, made up from stockings, with the following note:— "You will find enclosed 16 pairs of little shoes, which I hope will be of some use to you for the little ones in "the city in these hard times. They are, of course, made up of odds and ends, as you will'see, but I hope they, will be of some Use. Good luck, cheerio." The shoes have already been sent out to children in need in the city. PROM MAYOR'S FUND. Payments will be made of £5 to each district committoe this week from the as yet untouched Mayor's Fund, to be expended in immediate necessities. ' . • ' . -. ' i ', . . UNABLE TO PAY RENT. ■ The investigation of .cases of dis:, tress has led to revelations_ of some p*articularly - necessitous families. , The officer in charge of the Mayor's central relief depot gives instances of three married couples with families of four, seven, and six children who arc "threatened with eviction, as they cannot pay their rents, and asks kindly disposed persons who would assist to send in their names,- when the full information obtained during the investigations will prove the cases deserving of every assistance. ■ In response to the Mayor's appeal, many people have sent . donations of food to tho depot in Dixon street, but the depot is still short of butter, milk tokens, vegetables, fruit, and groceries. TREE .SOUP KITCHENS. .A free soup kitchen is being opened /by the Salvation Army in Buckle street to-morrow at 12,30 p.m., and hopes to have three soup kitchens in the city, where anybody who is "up against it" will be treated as well as possible with the funds available. REST ROOM. Commissioner Cunningham is on the look out for a largo building not at present in use, to make into a rest room for tho benefit of men without shelter during the day. The idea is to Save a large room with a good fire, reading matter, and some seats, where those who have no homes may gather apd'pass days such 'as to-day, without na.ving.to walk the streets.