RAISING £250,000

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 113, 14 May 1940, Page 9

RAISING £250,000

COMPLETE ORGANISATION

NATIONAL APPEAL

Never before in New Zealand —even in the days of the last war—has there been such a fully national single patriotic effort as the £250.000 appeal for the sick, wounded, and distressed which was launched throughout New Zealand this week. In every city, town, and hamlet in the country strong committees have been energetically working for some considerable time in the preliminary organisation, and when the birthday anniversary of Florence Nightingale heralded the start of the campaign on Sunday last, a network of money-raising schemes was put into operation.

The National Patriotic Fund Board has decided that, in the meantime, there shall be two national appeals only for patriotic purposes. The first of these, the Fighting Service Welfare Appeal, was held recently, and the second is the Sick, Wounded and Distressed Fund Appeal, which is commonly referred to as the Red Cross appeal. Future appeals will for the time being be confined to provincial efforts.

This effort is sponsored by the joint council of the New Zealand Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John, and it has the backing of a distinguished personnel, with the Governor-General and Lady Galway at the head. In stressing the fact that the administration of the Sick, Wounded, and Distressed Fund is to be non-political and non-Governmental in every way, the promoters point out that the two organisations have pooled their resources for the purpose of the campaign, and in future will work as a joint council for the energetic prosecution of this worthy object.

Although this Dominion has not yet been seriously affected by the war, political leaders and public men, including the Prime Minister, have brought home to the people the fact that the full co-operation of everyone in the community, without consideration of age, class, or station in life, will be needed if the war is to be carried on successfully. WIDE FIELD COVERED. The present campaign to raise £250,000 for the sick, wounded, and distressed covers a tremendous field, and reflects in a striking manner the completeness of the organisation behind it. In addition to personal efforts through committees the campaign includes individual house-to-house canvass, street days, and group collections, platform addresses, radio talks, | th. organisation of industrial firms for regular contributions, and a multiplicity of other ways of drawing attention to the appeal. j

Some of the means of raising money are ingenious, and are certainly effective. Success has been obtained in one town by farmers contributing produce for auction. In another place a motor-car is being raffled, in yet another there is to be a farmers' stock drive, and all these are linked up with a great circle of orthodox fund-raising devices such as parties, dances, Sunday night concerts, competitions, sports galas, and. general organised public effort. So comprehensive is the organisation that no section of the .community has been overlooked,

Donations should be sent either through local committees or direct to the St. John-Red Cross Headquarters, Vivian Street, Wellington. Cheques should be made payable to "Sick and Wounded Fund," and crossed. Donors are assured that all sums sent direct to headquarters will be credited to the local appeal committee as a donation from that province.