£5000 CABLED

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 147, 22 June 1940, Page 10

£5000 CABLED

SECOND ECHELON

PROVISION OF COMFORTS

Yesterday the National - Patriotic Fund Board sent,-a cable to Brigadier J. Hargest, Officer .Commanjiing the Second Echelon of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, which is now in the United Kingdom, advising him that the board had cabled £5000 sterling t« the High Commissioner for New Zealand in Britain, Mr. W. J. Jordan, for a comforts fund "for the troops. The cable asked Brigadier Hargest to communicate his requirements in this connection. A similar 'contingency fund was established by the board for the benefit of the First Echelon in Egypt. Apart from the money the board has cabled to the High Commissioner, the board saw to it that the Second Echelon was well equipped with, comforts for the voyage and for the troops on arrival at their destination. There were separate packages for the detachments of naval men and nurses. The articles sent provided a study in variety. There was a large supply of playing cards and indoor gamesover 70 dozen packs of playing, cards, sets of draughts, crib boards and chessmen, dart boards, ping-pong bats and balls, and tenriiquoit sets. Other material included sets of boxing gloves, footballs and football linings, songs and music, song "books, tooth brushes, harmonicas, hair clippers, skipping ropes, writing materials, biscuits, lime juice and soda water, condensed milk and coffee.and milk, radio sets and batteries.' Five thousand cases of apples were shipped for the troops on their arrival. The items mentioned do not j represent all that accompanied the Echelon, but they give some idea not only of the variety of the comforts that are provided, but also of the way 1 the National Patriotic Fund Board, 1 through the public support it. has received, is attending to the well-being of the members of the fighting services.